Greenlandic students show the flag

For the first time ever, Greenland is participating when Danish vocational education and training institutions compete in the craft trades at the so-called DM i Skills, which is taking place this week in Hjørring.

The DM i Skills is a competition for young people in vocational education and training institutions. Here, approximately 300 apprentices and students compete to become Denmark's best in their trades - including carpenters, bricklayers, chefs and electricians.

The Greenlandic vocational education and training institutions are not participating in the competition itself, but are present in Hjørring with a stand that brings the audience very close to Arctic crafts, culture and everyday life.

Competitions are the future

- We are not participating in the competitions this year, but it will come, says training manager John Plambek from KTI in Sismiut.

- We have many talented apprentices who can make a difference, but initially we want to focus on vocational training and also show that you can compete professionally. Participation in this kind of competition requires a targeted effort - and we want to use the visit to the Danish Skills Championship to show that it is a good opportunity to show what you are good at.

- It is also our plan that we will participate in Arctic Skills, which is a similar competition for students from the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Northern Norway.

- We also want to use the visit to Hjørring to show the flag. It takes something very special to be a craftsman in Greenland, because we have some challenges in, among other things, the climate, which requires you to be extremely good at planning - just as we have some education programs in Greenland that are not found elsewhere, says John Plambek.

Kayak builder and national costume seamstress

At the Greenlandic stand in Hjørring, the Danish audience can, among other things, follow a kayak builder, try their hand at snowmobile mechanics, taste musk oxen and reindeer, and experience crafts such as fur work and beadwork.

It's all about showing the difference between being an apprentice in Greenland and in Denmark. For example, a Greenlandic snowmobile apprentice shows the challenges of working with an engine that stalls in minus 40 degrees compared to standing and working in a warm car repair shop.

The stand also offers powerful stories about Arctic construction, survival and trade - as well as live demonstrations such as Inuit Games and the meeting with sled dogs.

The Greenlandic delegation of 25 people consists of school principals, teachers, apprentices and business people.

Brian is happy to participate

One of the participants at the stand is the carpenter's apprentice Brian Tony Kaspersen Schultz, who is made of a very special material.

Brian began his education at the carpentry training school with John Plambek in Sisimiut, but after the first basic course he switched to the carpentry training school in Hjørring. The Greenlandic carpenter's apprentice can easily see himself competing in the skills competitions.

- I am a sportsman to the core - and I love competition. So I have no problem with that - quite the opposite, explains Brian Tony Kaspersen Schultz.

- It was also because of the sport that I moved to Denmark and Hirtshals after the first basic course. I am on the Greenlandic national table tennis team. I have better training opportunities in Hirtshals, where I play on the city's 2nd division team. Competition means everything, so if I one day become skilled enough, I will of course compete in the DM i Skills.

The participation of the Greenlandic vocational education and training institutions in the DM i Skills in Hjørring is organised in collaboration with the UAGUT association.

- We are really looking forward to showing our Greenlandic culture and special vocational skills at the DM i Skills. In many ways, our vocational education and training institutions are exactly the same as in the rest of Denmark, and yet everything is completely different due to logistics and nature, of course. Young Greenlanders are educating themselves with deep respect for culture and nature, and are ready to solve the challenges of the future. We would like to show this and share it with everyone who visits DM i Skills in Hjørring, says Lisa Bundgaard Jensen, project manager at the Uagut association.