How you diagnose problems — systematically
From basic course to finished stonemason or stone technician
If you want to work with stone as a material — carving, shaping, grinding and installing it — you go a path that constantly alternates between school bench and real workshop. Like most vocational educations, it is divided into a basic and a main course, and most of the main course takes place with an employer. Here you get a complete picture of how the course fits together so you know what you are getting into.
§Basic course 1 and 2
If you come more or less directly from primary school, you typically start on basic course 1. It is a broad introduction to the main area technology, construction and transport where you sniff at the trade and find out if the direction suits you. Then comes basic course 2, which is aimed at the stone carver and stone technician trade. Here you work with the basic craft competencies and prepare for the main course.
Each of the two basic courses lasts as a rule half a year. If you are older, or come with relevant work experience, you can often start directly on basic course 2 and skip basic course 1.
§Main course — school and practical work alternating
The main course is the core of the training. Here you are an apprentice at a company and learn the trade in practice, interrupted by shorter school periods, where you catch up on theory, drawing, and broader professional competence. It is this alternation between doing real work and going to school that makes a vocational training something special: you test immediately what you have learned, and bring questions from everyday back to teaching.
§The two specializations
On the main course, the education is directed toward one of two specialties. The choice helps determine which tasks you really become proficient in and affects the course duration.
- 01Stonecutter — the classic, cutting-intensive trade with hand tools and figurative work, including restoration and decoration of older buildings and monuments
- 02Stone technician — the more machine-based trade with processing of natural stone, slabs and similar materials for construction and industry
§How long does it take?
The education takes several years, because there must be time for both training and schooling. As a standard vocational education (EUD), the total duration including basic course 1 and 2 is typically around four years, with some variation depending on specialization and start date. If you choose the EUX route, where you get general education courses on top of the journeyman certificate, the course becomes longer—up to five years. The exact length also depends on your background, as some parts can be shortened with credit.
| Step | What's happening | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Basic course 1 | Broad introduction to the main area | School |
| Basic course 2 | Targeted stonemason/stone technician trade | School |
| Main course | Training in the trade + shorter school periods | Company + school |
§Admission and access requirements
To begin a vocational education you must as a rule have passed elementary school's final exam and meet a grade requirement in Danish and math. If you don't come directly from elementary school or are missing the grades there are other ways in — among other things via an admission conversation. You apply via the common application system and there is an application deadline each spring for study start after summer vacation.
“The best thing about a vocational education is that you learn the trade where it is actually used.”