Yesterday, an agreement on a reform of the universities' master's programmes was reached, which stipulates that 30 % of Denmark's master's programmes must be restructured. 10 % will be turned into 1-year programmes, and 20 % will be turned into vocational programmes. In addition, the universities must admit 8 % fewer bachelor's students overall.
Anders Bjarklev states:
"I am pleased that the scope was not as extensive as I feared, but I'm surprised and upset that in the future we will have to educate less. This does not help solve the problems we're facing as a society."
"We are currently training the engineers necessary for the green transition and the healthcare system of the future, and who support Denmark's leading position in life sciences, and it is my hope that we can continue to do so."
"So we are looking forward to an obligating collaboration with public and private businesses to create the necessary number of vocational programmes. However, we will not be able to reach our goal without the support of the industry."
"I am delighted that there will be more English-language admissions in the future, as long as the total number of admissions will be increased, and I certainly share the ambition to attract international students."
"In the future, we will need more engineers. Data from the Danish Society of Engineers, IDA, show that in 2030 there will be a shortage of 13,000 graduates in the fields of engineering, technology and IT. Any reduction in the admissions will only increase that need."
"We have extremely low unemployment, and our figures show that 9 out of 10 engineering students from DTU are employed a year after graduating. I am pleased that areas with high demand and low unemployment seem to be prioritized."
