Target groups for a new Danish nurse training programme recognising prior relevant education, training and working experience
Nurses constitute one of the large professional groups with the greatest shortage of personnel. This is so at the present time, and is expected to be increasingly true in future.
The purpose of this study is to contribute to a mapping of the target groups for a training programme giving access to the nursing profession that would be offered within the framework of the Danish vocational further and higher education category of “Open Education” and would give credit for applicants’ existing education, training or working experience. The mapping has been carried out using official records, including data relating to education, training and working experience.
The study has been carried out at the instance of the working party appointed by the Ministry of Education to assess the scope for establishing a training programme of the type described. The following criteria, which were decided upon by the working party, and their combinations, were taken as the point of departure for delimiting the potential target groups.
It was decided initially to limit the target group to persons aged 22–45 not in education or training.
- Target group 1 consists of persons who have dropped out of a medium or long-duration higher education programme in the health care field, for example training as a nurse, radiographer or doctor, in 2001–2005, and who do not hold any other vocational qualification earned via a medium or long-duration higher education programme.
- Target group 2 comprises persons who hold the Danish qualification of social and health care assistant.
- Target group 3 is defined as persons holding a long-duration higher education qualification, such as “cand.mag.”, who are not employed in a managerial position or as a member of a professional association.
- It was then investigated how many of the members of each of these three target groups had relevant working experience within the past three years, for example one, two or three years experience within the social and health care field.
As mentioned above, these criteria were set by the working party appointed by the Ministry of Education. Other criteria could have been chosen. The selected criteria and their combinations apply only to the present mapping, and not to persons who would eventually be able to apply for acceptance on a newly established programme of the kind described. Application for acceptance on such a programme would be open to all, but the working party took the view that the criteria formulated were among the most important for an assessment of the size of the target group.
The sole purpose of the analysis was to gauge the number of persons who, with reference to the preset criteria relating to education, training and working experience over the five-year period 2001–2005, would be considered interesting for consideration of a more precise definition of target groups for the possible new programme. The mapping was not intended to investigate potential annual enrolment numbers for such a programme, nor to consider what influence the salary and working conditions for those completing it might be expected to have on interest in it. Similarly, the mapping has not taken into account the significance of financial and study conditions for programme participants.
A brief description follows of the three target groups.
Target group 1: Persons who have dropped out of a medium or long-duration higher education programme in the health care field
There are 3,107 persons who have dropped out of a medium or long-duration higher education programme in the health care field who do not have any other vocational qualification and are not at present in education or training. Of the 1,673 who dropped out of nurse training, a total of 684 have had relevant working experience within the last three years, while 989 have no relevant working experience. The potential contribution of this target group to a programme of the type envisaged is therefore limited.
Target group 2: Persons who hold the Danish qualification of social and health care assistant
Social and health care assistants are an important target group for the existing nurse training programme for those with prior relevant education, training or working experience. In this study, the target group consists of qualified social and health care assistants who were not in education or training in 2005.
It was found that there were 13,443 persons with at least one year’s relevant working experience within the last three years, and as many as 10,613 who had had relevant work throughout the three years. This is therefore a very sizeable target group for the programme. However, only a few, namely 3,607 persons, had an upper secondary school education, which students commencing an ordinary nurse training programme typically do have.
Target group 3: Persons holding a long-duration higher education qualification, such as “cand.mag.”, who are not employed in a managerial position or as a member of a professional association
There are few people in target group 3 who have relevant working experience. Only 561 persons have had between one and three years’ relevant experience within the last three years, and this target group is therefore hardly of great interest in relation to the establishment of a course of the kind under consideration.
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