The journeyman's exam and the path through the warehouse and terminal education
From basic course via work-based training to the final test
Introduction
The warehouse and terminal programme is a vocational programme that alternates between school and work-based training in a company, and that ends with a journeyman's test. Knowing the structure in advance makes it easier to plan when you are at school, when you are in the company, and what the final test actually requires of you.
The education's structure
The education starts with basic course 1 and 2, each lasting 20 weeks. This is followed by the main course, which lasts 2 years and 6 months, and where you alternate between school and apprenticeship in a business. To start the main course, you must have an education agreement with a business—the apprenticeship time here makes up most of the main course duration.
| Step | Duration | School instruction |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1: warehouse helper | 1 år | 16.6 weeks distributed over three school terms |
| Step 2: warehouse and transport operator | 1 year and 6 months | 14.4 weeks distributed over at least two school terms |
| Step 2: warehouse and logistics operator / warehouse operator for automated warehouses | 1 year and 6 months | 13.4 weeks distributed over at least two school terms |
Work-based training is the main part of the programme
Although school periods are where theory and shared exercises come together it is the apprenticeship time at the company that fills most of the main course. This is where you translate what you learn at school into real goods receipt picking and shipping — under the supervision of experienced colleagues and with increasing independence as you progress through the course.
How the journeyman's test is carried out
The final test at level 2 is the journeyman's test, and it is taken in all three specialisations — warehouse and transport operator, warehouse and logistics operator and operator for automated warehouses — even if you continue to level 3. The school holds it together with the trade committee in the last school period, and you must have the driving licences and certificates the programme requires before you sit it. For students who started before 1 August 2026, the test looks like this (BEK no. 287 of 19/03/2025 § 7):
- 01A practical assignment with oral elements lasting 3 hours. The assignment is drawn by lot among assignments set by the school.
- 02A written, internet-based test of 45 minutes with 35 multiple-choice questions spread over fixed categories.
- 03You get one overall grade on the 7-point scale, where the practical assignment counts double — and you must get at least 02 in each of the two parts.
- 04If you finish the programme at level 1, the final test is a school test: a practical assignment with oral elements lasting 1½ hours (§ 6).
For students starting from 1 August 2026, BEK no. 175 of 28/01/2026 applies. The content of the test is now in the training regulations set by the trade committee (TUR), while the executive order keeps that level 2 ends with a journeyman's test and that the school certificate requires an average of at least 2.0 and at least 02 in the final test (§ 7).
The way forward after the journeyman exam
With a journeyman's certificate in hand you can specialise further within logistics purchasing or terminal operations take relevant AMU courses or eventually study an academy education in international trade and logistics. With experience the path is also open to become team leader or warehouse manager with responsibility for the entire goods flow.
The programme is built so that theory, work-based training and a final test fit together as a whole. When you know the structure, you know both when you must deliver what — and what really tests your skills when the journeyman's test comes.