Denmark needs internationals to learn Danish, and most of us want to. However, evening classes are hard to fit around a full-time job, children and a family without grandparents or friends nearby to help. The result is that many professionals who genuinely want to learn Danish struggle to make progress.
We believe that learning Danish should fit into working life, instead of competing with family life.
Employers should be supported to offer Danish lessons during working hours.
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International families arrive with no support network. Evenings are the only time for children and partners. Asking parents to choose between Danish class and bedtime is a choice many cannot make.
Language is the key to belonging. When internationals can speak Danish, we build friendships, join communities and feel at home. That is exactly what keeps us in the country.
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A win-win: Employees gain language skills, and employers gain staff who integrate faster and stay longer.
Retention: Families who are well integrated and speak Danish are far more likely to build a long-term life here.
Better results: People learn best when they are not exhausted after a full working day.
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Companies cannot afford lost working hours
The investment pays off through retention. Replacing an employee who leaves costs far more than a few hours of language training a week. Co-funding can support smaller employers.
Learning Danish is the individual's responsibility
It is, and internationals take it seriously. This proposal makes it possible for people to meet that responsibility.
Free Danish courses already exist
They do. The barrier is not the course, but the timing.
Our Proposal
Denmark will be stronger when employers offer Danish lessons for international employees during working hours.
Danish training integrated into the working week for international employees.
Public co-funding or incentives for employers, especially SMEs.
Linked to existing Danish education programmes.
We aim for a Denmark where learning the language is part of the job instead of a sacrifice for the family.