A unique base of talent and skills

Copenhagen is the educational and competence centre of Denmark with a vast resource base. The city offers investors access to a unique base of skills and a labour pool from a large catch area in both Denmark and Southern Sweden.

Education and lifelong learning for everybody rank high on the political and corporate agenda, and there is an ongoing commitment to deepening and extending the skill base. Both public and private sectors invest large sums in the development of skills and competences.

Nearly 80% of Copenhagen’s population has attained a vocational-level education or higher. In the entire Øresund Region, a total of 137,000 students are enrolled at 14 universities and the Øresund Region holds the largest number of researchers in the private and public sectors compared to other Northern European regions. In addition, the region is ranked 6th in terms of scientific output. (see tables below)

The Danish population’s language proficiency is among the highest in Europe and it is easy to find multilingual staff in Copenhagen. According to a survey made by the EU commission in 2000 and 2001, about 80% of the Danes speak English, 50% speak German, and 10% speak French. In fact, more and more companies establishing Scandinavian headquarters or shared service centres benefit from the opportunity to recruit Scandinavian-speaking personnel from Copenhagen and the entire Øresund Region.

R&D in the public and private sector in selected regions

Source: Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, Benchmarking the Øresund Region, 2003 (in Danish)

Scientific output, Ranking of European regions, 2003

13930

10196

Note: Publications in 2003 as registered by ISI
Source: Technical University of Denmark, 2004

Last updated on: 30-12-2005	<< Back   Top