Education minister tells students to go to Germany finish their education

With a critical shortage of internships at home, students are advised to head south

The lack of space in apprentice programs in Denmark has Christine Antorini (S), the education minister, encouraging students to head to Germany where some 33,000 spots are open for training in trades like construction, hairdressing or the restaurant business.

"This is a fantastic opportunity,” Antorini told the union newspaper Avisen. “Students get an apprenticeship, international experience on their CV and have a portion of their costs paid.”

READ MORE: Little support for lower apprentice pay

Antorini acknowledged that wages for apprentices were lower in Germany but pointed out that “it is for only a few months out of student’s life."

Even though there is a shortage of 12,000 spots for interns in Denmark, some students are still reluctant to head south.

“It is still very new to take an apprenticeship abroad, so it is important to make sure that students are not just killing time,” Morten Ryom, the head Erhvervsskolernes Elevorganisation, the trade school student association, told TV 2 News. “There are barriers, including language, that make it important that we confirm that conditions are in order before we send them down there.”

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