Shortage of educators prompts municipalities in Denmark to encourage untrained assistants to pursue qualifications

There is a shortage of educators in the country’s nurseries and kindergartens. As a result, municipalities are actively encouraging untrained teaching assistants to pursue qualifications as trained educational assistants. This training can be completed in just 42 weeks for those over 25 with at least two years of experience as a teaching assistant. In comparison, becoming a qualified educator takes 3.5 years.

Since 2019, the number of educational assistants employed by municipalities has increased by 52%, resulting in over 3,000 assistants working in nurseries and kindergartens. However, there are concerns regarding the quality of care for young children. Lotte Roed, a child policy spokesperson for the Radikale Venstre party, emphasizes that children need highly qualified educators, not just assistants. She expresses support for the transition of untrained aides to educational assistants but argues that it is not a long-term solution.

Helene Brydensholt from the Alternativet party shares similar concerns, indicating that while training more educational assistants may offer a short-term fix, it is vital to develop a long-term strategy to encourage more individuals to become qualified educators and remain in the profession.

In response, Minister of Children and Education Mattias Tesfaye believes the approach should not be viewed as an ‘either-or’ scenario but rather a ‘both-and’ situation. He sees great potential in training educational assistants alongside educating qualified educators, insisting both roles are necessary in this context.

Educational assistants plan and implement educational activities, with their training typically lasting up to 3 years and 1.5 months, or just 42 weeks with appropriate prior experience.