The education's structure from basic course to final exam.
How the basic course, main course, school, and apprenticeship work together
The path through digital media is built as an alternating course: you switch between going to school and being apprenticed in a company. That way you get both the theoretical and creative foundation at school and the practical routine in a real production where tasks must be solved for a customer and a deadline.
The education falls under the main area of technology, construction, and transport, and the professional board behind it is Industrial Education (Industriens Uddannelser). Be aware that the education has been reformed and now goes under the designation animation technician—but it is the same education many still know as digital media, and the structure with basic and main course is the same.
§Basic course 1 and 2
If you come more or less directly from 9th or 10th grade, you start on the basic course at a vocational school. The 1st part of the basic course typically lasts about half a year and is broad: here you are introduced to a subject area without having committed to one specific trade yet.
The basic course's 2nd part also lasts about half a year, and here you direct yourself towards the trade itself. You work with the basics in graphics, image, sound, video and web, and the course is completed with a test that must be passed before you can move on in the main course.
§Main course – alternating between school and training
The main course is the long and largest part of the training. It alternates between school periods, where you work with the trade's tools, methods, and theory, and training periods, where you are at a company and use it all on real tasks. If you don't have an apprenticeship position at a company, parts of the training can in some cases take place as school training in a practice center.
§The two specializations
On digital media, you choose two specialties. This controls what you delve into in the final part of the program and what your final certificate will be about.
- 01Multimedia integrator – works with building and integrating applications, databases and interactive user interfaces for websites, e-commerce and games.
- 02Multimedia animator – works with 3D modelling, visualization and animation as well as audio and video production.
§Total duration
The total qualification lasts around 3 years and 6 months when you count basic and main program together. The exact length depends, among other things, on whether you take the ordinary path, EUX, or an adult path, and on how quickly you start training in a company.
| Phase | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Basic course 1 | Broad professional foundation approx. half a year | Vocational school |
| Basic course 2 | Targets the trade, approx. six months, ends with an exam | Vocational school |
| Main course | Alternation between school periods and company training | School + company |
| Specialty | Multimedia integrator or multimedia animator | School + company |
§Entry requirements and admission
To enter you must in principle have completed primary school with at least 2.0 on average in both Danish and mathematics – or something equivalent. You apply via optagelse.dk and if you come directly from 9th or 10th grade the application deadline is usually 1 March. Be aware that there can be admission restrictions on basic course 2nd part in the form of quotas; if you already have a training agreement with a company you are guaranteed a place.
“School gives you the tools and the creative foundation. Training turns it into a craft you can deliver on a deadline. Only when the two work together are you ready to stand with a real task yourself.”