Vacation policy for apprentices and trainees (Denmark)
This article explains how to set up a vacation policy for apprentices and trainees in BitaBIZ when the company follows the Danish Holiday Act.
There are typically some special conditions that make it necessary to create a separate vacation policy for apprentices:
Apprentices often have the option to take vacation in advance.
Newly hired apprentices may be entitled to additional 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 accrual, which follows the Danish Holiday Act, can be found here.
Other time off that is managed through an additional balance (e.g., 6th week of vacation, special vacation days, and care days) is set up separately.
Read more about additional 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 it is allowed to take vacation in advance.
3rd & 4th year apprentices
For these apprentices, some companies choose to:
Move them to the same vacation policy as permanent employees, or
Keep them in a separate apprentice policy.
This depends on whether they should still have greater access to advance vacation than permanent employees.
The vacation policy for apprentices is created in the same way as for permanent employees, with monthly accrual following the Danish Holiday Act.
The difference is that apprentice policies allow advance vacation, and newly hired apprentices may need to be granted additional 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 holiday year with monthly accrual
Select End-of-month accrual
Enable advance vacation
Allow up to 15 days in advance
Select that the employee may take accrued days + any allocated 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 holiday year with monthly accrual
Select End-of-month accrual
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 may be taken in advance.
Special rules in the first year of employment
Apprentices generally accrue 2.08 vacation days per month of employment.
The accrual is calculated from the employment start date until the end of the holiday year accrual period (31 August).
This means that only the months in which the employee is employed up to 31 August in the same holiday year are counted.
Depending on the start date, the apprentice may be entitled to additional days in the first year of employment, so that they accrue the amount of vacation they are entitled to up to 31 August.
Rules for granting additional vacation days in the first year of employment
Apprentice start date | Entitlement to vacation | Example |
From 1 September | 5 weeks of paid vacation | Apprentice start date: 1 October.
Accrual in the holiday year: 22.88.
The company grants 2.12 additional days so the apprentice can take a total of 25 days. |
From 1 November | 3 weeks of paid vacation | Apprentice start date: 1 December.
Accrual in the holiday year: 18.72.
No additional days are granted, as the requirement of 3 weeks is fulfilled. |
From 1 July | Days accrued per month | Apprentice start date: 1 August.
Accrual in the holiday year: 2.08 days.
These can be taken from 1 September. No additional days are granted. |
Rule for allocating vacation days to apprentices
Only allocate additional vacation days if the employee does not accrue enough days to meet the vacation entitlement for the employment period.
Requirement: 5 weeks if employed between 1 September – 31 October
Requirement: 3 weeks if employed between 1 November – 30 June
If the accrual already meets the requirement, no additional days should be allocated.
Allocation of additional vacation days
When a new apprentice or trainee is hired, they are assigned to your 1st & 2nd year apprentice policy.
Depending on the month of employment, it may be necessary to manually allocate vacation days at the time of hiring in order to comply with the requirements in the Danish Holiday Act for newly hired apprentices.
The employee must not be restricted to only taking vacation days once they are accrued, and therefore advance vacation is allowed.
The figure below shows the number of days that must be manually allocated depending on the month of employment:
*According to the Danish Holiday Act, the company must allocate days in the month of employment so that the employee can take either 5 weeks or 3 weeks of vacation in the holiday year in which the employee is hired. Months marked in green require no manual allocation.
**Can be taken from 1 September.
Important
If the apprentice is entitled to additional vacation days:
The allocation must take place in the month of employment.
The days must be allocated manually by increasing the vacation balance.
Follow the guide for manually increasing a balance.
Transition from apprentice to permanent employee
When the apprentice transitions to a permanent position, the policy is changed from apprentice to permanent employee.
The difference will typically only be that there may now be a limitation 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 the option to take more vacation in advance than permanent employees, and therefore require their own policy.
When should additional vacation days be granted to apprentices?
When should additional vacation days be granted to apprentices?
Additional vacation days must be granted to apprentices if, from the start of employment, they cannot accrue the amount of vacation they are entitled to.
If an apprentice is hired between 1 September and 31 October, it is necessary to calculate how many vacation days the employee will accrue during the holiday year. The apprentice is entitled to a minimum of 5 weeks of vacation (25 days).
If the employee accrues fewer than 25 days, the company must manually increase the vacation balance.
If the employee accrues 25 days or more, no additional vacation days should be granted.
If an apprentice is hired between 1 November and 30 June, it is necessary to calculate how many vacation days the employee will accrue during the holiday year. The apprentice is entitled to a minimum of 3 weeks of vacation (15 days).
If the employee accrues fewer than 15 days, the company must manually increase the vacation balance.
If the employee accrues 15 days or more, no additional vacation days should be granted.
The vacation balance does not require manual adjustment if the apprentice’s employment start date allows them to accrue the amount of vacation they are entitled to.
What happens when an apprentice becomes a permanent employee?
What happens when an apprentice becomes a permanent employee?
When the apprentice transitions to a permanent position, the employee is normally moved to the company’s standard vacation policy, unless there are special circumstances. See more about changing policies here.