When Is Trade Exam Season? A Guide to the Year's Key Dates

Are you looking up trade exam dates because an apprentice in the family or at the workplace is about to qualify? You're not alone. Every year, tens of thousands of apprentices complete their vocational education with a trade exam — and for the family, the colleagues and the master, that means one thing: a celebration to plan and a gift to find before the big day arrives.

But when do the trade exams actually take place? The short answer is that there's no single national date. Vocational education does, however, follow a fairly predictable annual cycle, and in this guide we cover how the seasons typically fall in 2026 and 2027, why they fall where they do — and when you should order the journeyman gift at the latest, so you're not empty-handed at the celebration.

Trade exam dates 2026/2027: how the seasons fall

Trade exam dates follow the rhythm of the school year at the vocational colleges. The vast majority of apprentices finish their main programme either before the summer holidays or around the turn of the year, so the trade exams cluster in two clear seasons:

• The spring season: Trade exams typically run in May and June, so the newly qualified can be celebrated before the summer holidays. In 2026 and 2027, June will as always be by far the busiest month for journeyman celebrations.
• The autumn/winter season: The second big wave falls in November, December and January, when classes that started on a staggered schedule finish their education around the turn of the year.

In practice this means that if you know an apprentice in their final year, chances are the big day falls in either June or December/January. The exact date is set by the vocational college and the trade committee for the individual trade — and the apprentice is told well in advance, typically several months before.

If you want to know how the day itself is celebrated once the exam is passed, read our guide to what to give at a journeyman celebration, and when the party is held.

The annual cycle of vocational education

To understand why the trade exams fall where they do, it helps to know how vocational education is structured. A Danish vocational education consists of a basic programme and a main programme:

The basic programme takes place at the vocational college and typically lasts up to a year. Most students start either after the summer holidays (August) or after New Year (January) — the two big intakes that later become the two big trade exam seasons.

The main programme is the sandwich education, where the apprentice alternates between training at the company and school periods at the college. Depending on the trade, the main programme typically lasts 2–4 years. The carpenter, the electrician and the industrial technician are examples of trades with long main programmes, while other educations are shorter.

The trade exam comes at the very end of the main programme, often in the final school period. Because the school periods are fixed to the school year, the final exams naturally land in the months before the summer holidays and before the turn of the year. That's the whole explanation for the two seasons: starting the education in August typically means qualifying in the spring some years later, and starting in January means qualifying around a year's end.

Once the exam is passed, the trade committee issues the journeyman's certificate — the physical proof that the apprentice is now a journeyman. You can read more about what the journeyman's certificate means, and why it's celebrated on our trade blog.

The spring season: May and June

Spring is peak season for trade exams. From late April the first final exams begin, and through May and June it culminates: practical exams in the workshops, theoretical exams, examiners visiting — and finally the day when the grades are published and the certificates are presented.

For the family, that makes June the party month. Many vocational colleges hold official certificate ceremonies or graduations in June, where the whole class is celebrated together and medals and praise go to the best. Afterwards — the same day or the following weekend — many families hold their own journeyman celebration.

If you're planning a celebration in the spring season of 2026 or 2027, there are two things to watch:

• The calendar is crowded: June is already packed with graduation parties, confirmations and weddings. Book the venue and send invitations in good time.
• Gifts must be ordered early: June is also peak season for journeyman gifts. A personal gift engraved with a name and year should be ordered as soon as the date is known.

The autumn season: November to January

The second big wave of trade exams rolls from November across the turn of the year. This is when the classes that started on a staggered schedule finish — and in many trades with rolling intake, exams are held in both December and January.

The winter celebrations have their own atmosphere. Where the June parties often take place outdoors in the garden or on the terrace, the December and January celebrations are typically indoor events — and many families choose to combine the journeyman celebration with the Christmas lunch or the New Year festivities when the certificate lands close to the holidays.

Watch out for one practical pitfall in the winter season: delivery times around Christmas. If the journeyman gift is needed for a party in December, order well before the Christmas rush. Our guide to journeyman gift delivery and ordering deadlines covers exactly when you need to click order at the latest.

Trades that fall outside the seasons

Although the two seasons cover the vast majority of qualifications, there are exceptions worth knowing:

Trades with rolling exams: Some educations — especially within transport, food and service — have several annual intakes and thus exams spread more across the year. A chef or a waiter can easily qualify in March or September if the class started off-cycle.

Adult apprentices and credit transfer: Adult apprentices with shortened programmes don't always follow the classic rhythm and can finish at any time of year.

Illness and re-examinations: A postponed exam naturally moves the date too — and the celebration waits until the certificate is secured.

The moral is simple: the seasons are a good rule of thumb for planning, but the only reliable source for the exact date is the apprentice themselves or the vocational college. Ask in good time — most apprentices know their exam date several months ahead.

Who needs the dates for what?

Trade exam season matters to more people than the newly qualified themselves, and the different roles have different deadlines to watch:

The family needs the date to plan the journeyman celebration: venue, invitations and the main gift. Start two to three months ahead, especially if the party falls in busy June.

The master and the company need the workplace's gift ready for the day the certificate is presented — plus pastries and flags for the celebration at the workshop. Companies with several apprentices are wise to build a fixed routine into the calendar for each exam season, so no qualification passes unnoticed.

Colleagues and friends only need to know the party date — but if you want to give a personal engraved gift, you need the name, trade and year in good time before the party.

When should you order the journeyman gift?

Now for the practical question most people googling trade exam dates are really sitting with: when does the gift need to be ready? Here's a simple timeline:

Our trade figurines are designed in Denmark and available for over 30 skilled trades — from carpenter and metalsmith to hairdresser. The figurines come in two sizes: standard 16 cm at 599 kr and premium 24 cm at 899 kr, both in male and female versions and delivered in a gift box. Personal engraving with a name and year costs +199 kr — and it's precisely the engraving with the year 2026 or 2027 that turns the gift into a lasting keepsake of the big day. Read more about the options in our guide to journeyman gifts with personal engraving.

FAQ — frequently asked questions about trade exam dates

When are the trade exams in 2026?

The two big seasons in 2026 are May–June and November–December. The exact dates vary between trades and vocational colleges, so ask the apprentice or the school for the specific date.

When are the trade exams in 2027?

The pattern repeats in 2027: spring exams in May–June and winter exams from November to January. Trades with rolling intake may, however, have exams at other times of year.

How far in advance does the apprentice know their exam date?

Typically several months. The date is set by the vocational college and the trade committee, and the apprentice is told during the final school period — often earlier.

Is the journeyman celebration held the same day as the trade exam?

Not necessarily. Many celebrate with colleagues and pastries on the day the certificate is presented, while the big journeyman celebration with the family is often held the following weekend.

When should I order the journeyman gift at the latest?

With 1–3 business day delivery, order no later than a week before the celebration — that also leaves time for the engraving. Before Christmas and in June we recommend ordering earlier, as those are peak seasons.

What if the apprentice doesn't pass the trade exam?

Then a re-examination is offered, and the celebration is postponed. So consider holding back the gift until the certificate is secured — but do order it in advance, so it's ready.