How To Meet The Challenges Of Recent Changes In Danish VET?

The Danish vocational colleges are challenged with implementing new laws, meet the political ambition due prevent a future lack of skilled workers and reduce costs. In addition, younger pupils attend the colleges because of new approaches to recruiting and the building of bridges from lower secondary education to colleges. Furthermore, colleges merge to balance the budget due to economic conditions. Such challenges are part of the context for a team at a social and healthcare college that is introduced to the idea of professional learning communities. The methodological approach is action research using observations and interviews. The results show how a team use reflective dialogue to meet some of the challenges, use differentiated teaching, and how a sub-team cooperate regarding rules in the classroom. It is discussed how the idea of professional learning communities supports the implementation of changes.