How auto painter education is structured
From basic course to journeyman's certificate: alternation between school and practical training duration and how to get in
If you want to work helping motorists stranded on the road, auto assistance education is the way in. It is a vocational education (VET) and, like all vocational educations, it is based on alternation between school and practical training. You learn both the theory at school and the craft at a company while you are at it.
§The basic course — your first steps
If you come more or less directly from primary and lower secondary school, you start on the basic course. It is divided into two parts. Basic course 1 (GF1) is the broad introduction to the main area, and basic course 2 (GF2) is directed straight at the subject. Both parts last approximately half a year — in practice each part is around 20 weeks.
On GF2, you begin to work purposefully with what belongs to automotive assistance. You come to know the industry, with the basic methods and the way an automotive assistant thinks about safety.
§Main course — where the craft takes root
After the basic course comes the main course, where you are truly out in a company and at the same time come to school in periods. The main course spans approximately two years. During that time you have approximately 30 weeks of classroom instruction distributed over at least three separate school periods — the rest of the time you are in practice and learning the trade in reality.
If you take the training as an adult on an euv program, the main course is typically a bit shorter, and the number of school weeks is fewer because your experience is taken into account.
§How long does it take altogether?
If you count basic training and main course together, the total education comes to around three years for a young person starting from scratch. If you build on experience or parts of another education, it can go faster.
| Part 1 · The trunk | Duration (approx.) | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| Basic course 1 | a half year (approx. 20 weeks) | Broad introduction to the main area |
| Basic course 2 | a half year (approx. 20 weeks) | Targeted auto assistance |
| Main course | ca. 2 år | Apprenticeship in a company + approx. 30 weeks of school over at least 3 periods |
§Entry requirements and admission
To start the basic course you must have passed primary school's leaving exam and in principle have at least grade 02 on average in both Danish and mathematics from 9th or 10th grade. If you don't meet the requirement directly there are ways in via entrance exam and interview — ask the school's counselor.
A completely central point with vocational qualifications is that you need a practical placement (a training agreement with a company) to be able to complete the main course. Start looking early — the car repair industry is not huge so it may take some active searching.