Vacation Policy for Apprentices and Trainees (Denmark)
This article explains how to set up a vacation policy for apprentices and trainees in BitaBIZ when your company follows the Danish Holiday Act.
There are usually some special circumstances that make it necessary to create a separate vacation policy for apprentices:
Apprentices often have the option to take advance vacation
Newly hired apprentices may be entitled to extra vacation days in their first year of employment
This article describes how the vacation policy is typically set up in BitaBIZ for apprentices and trainees. The general setup for monthly earning, which follows the Danish Holiday Act, can be found here.
Other vacation, which is settled via a supplementary balance (e.g. 6th vacation week, other vacation, and care days) is set up separately. Read more about supplementary balances here.
Dividing Apprentices into Vacation Policies
Many companies divide apprentices into two groups depending on their length of employment.
1st & 2nd year apprentices
These apprentices typically have a separate vacation policy where advance vacation is allowed.
3rd & 4th year apprentices
For these apprentices, some companies choose to:move them to the same vacation policy as fixed paid employees, or
keep them in a separate apprentice policy
It depends on whether they should still have access to advance vacation to a greater extent than fixed paid employees.
The apprentice vacation policy is set up like the fixed paid employees' with monthly earning that follows the Danish Holiday Act.
The difference is that apprentice policies allow advance vacation, and newly hired apprentices may need to be granted extra days.
How to Set Up the Vacation Policy for Apprentices and Trainees
The vacation policy is created in the same way as for other employees.
Go to Setup Admin → Modules
Select the desired vacation policy
Click Edit
Open the Vacation tab
Then adjust the settings according to the rules for apprentices.
Setup for 1st and 2nd Year Apprentices
A typical setup is:
Select The Danish vacation year with monthly earning
Select End-of-period earning
Enable advance vacation
Allow up to 15 days in advance
Select that the employee may take earned days + any granted days
This setup allows apprentices to take vacation earlier in their employment.
Setup for 3rd and 4th Year Apprentices
The setup is similar to the standard vacation policy:
Select The Danish vacation year with monthly earning
Select End-of-period earning
Choose whether advance vacation should be allowed
If "Max" is selected, advance vacation is not possible
If "Advance" is selected, enter the maximum number of days that can be taken in advance
Special Rules in the First Year of Employment
Trainees generally earn 2.08 vacation days per month of employment.
Earning is calculated from the date of employment up to the end of the vacation year's earning period (August 31).
This means that only the months the employee is employed during the period up to 8/31 in the same vacation year are counted.
Depending on the employment start date, the trainee is entitled to be granted extra days in the first year of employment so they earn the amount of vacation up to 8/31 that they are entitled to.
Rules for Granting Extra Vacation Days in the First Year of Employment
Trainee Start Date | Vacation Entitlement | Example |
From September 1 | 5 weeks paid vacation | Trainee starts October 1.
Earning in the vacation year: 22.88.
The company grants 2.12 days so the apprentice can take 25 days in total. |
From November 1 | 3 weeks paid vacation | Trainee starts December 1.
Earns 18.72 in the vacation year.
No extra days are granted as the 3-week requirement is met. |
From July 1 | Days earned per month | Trainee starts August 1.
Earning in the vacation year: 2.08 days. Can be taken from September 1.
No extra days are granted. |
Rule for Granting Vacation Days to Apprentices
Only grant extra vacation days if the employee does not earn enough days to meet the vacation requirement for the employment period.
Requirement: 5 weeks if employed between 9/1 – 10/31
Requirement: 3 weeks if employed between 11/1 – 6/30
If the earning already meets the requirement, no extra days should be granted
Granting Extra Vacation Days
When a new apprentice or trainee is hired, they are linked to your 1st & 2nd year apprentice policy.
Depending on the month of employment, it may be necessary to manually grant days at the time of employment to meet the vacation law requirement for newly hired apprentices.
Employees must not be limited to only being able to take vacation days once they are earned, so advance vacation is allowed.
The figure below shows the number of days that must be granted manually depending on the month of employment:
*According to the Holiday Act, the company must grant days in the month of employment so that the employee can take either 5 weeks or 3 weeks in the vacation year in which they are hired. Months marked in green require no manual granting
** Can be taken from September 1.
Important
If the apprentice is entitled to extra vacation days:
The granting must take place in the month of employment
The days must be granted manually by increasing the vacation balance
Follow the guide for manually increasing a balance.
Transition from Apprentice to Fixed Paid Employee
When the apprentice transitions to a fixed paid employee, the policy is changed from apprentice to fixed paid employee.
The only difference will typically be that there may now be a restriction on the allowed use of advance vacation.
FAQ
Do apprentices always need their own policy?
Do apprentices always need their own policy?
Apprentices do not necessarily need their own policy. However, many companies choose to create a separate policy because apprentices often need more advance vacation than fixed paid employees, so it is necessary for them to have their own policy.
When should extra vacation days be granted to apprentices?
When should extra vacation days be granted to apprentices?
Extra vacation days should be granted to apprentices if, from the start of employment, they cannot earn the amount of vacation they are entitled to.
If an apprentice is hired between September 1 and October 31, it is necessary to calculate how many vacation days the employee will earn in the vacation year.
The apprentice is entitled to at least 5 weeks of vacation (25 days).
If the employee earns less than 25 days, the company must manually increase the vacation balance.
If the employee earns 25 days or more, no extra vacation days need to be granted
If an apprentice is hired between November 1 and June 30, it is necessary to calculate how many vacation days the employee will earn in the vacation year.
The apprentice is entitled to at least 3 weeks of vacation (15 days).
If the employee earns less than 15 days, the company must manually increase the vacation balance.
If the employee earns 15 days or more, no extra vacation days need to be granted
The vacation balance does not require manual adjustment if the apprentice's date of employment means they will earn the amount of vacation they are entitled to.
What happens when an apprentice becomes a fixed paid employee?
What happens when an apprentice becomes a fixed paid employee?
When the apprentice transitions to a fixed paid employee, the employee is normally moved to the company's standard vacation policy unless there are special circumstances. See more about changing policy here.