About

Danske Erhvervsskoler is a member organisation offering political, economic, administrative and legal advice to the daily management and the board of directors of varying Danish vocational and technical schools. As the chief consultant at Danske Erhvervsskoler, Thomas Ankersen, has three employees reporting into him and together they counsel 64 Danish vocational and technical schools. Advice to member organisations is provided through collaboration with external stakeholders, including the Danish Ministry of Education, increasing the complexity of navigating the legal domain of Danske Erhvervsskoler. Ankersen recently assisted in the merger with another educational member organisation that resulted in establishing a legal counselling area in the new organisational structure, further evidencing the dynamic nature of Ankersen’s role as chief consultant. In 2013 he headed a new agreement which instigated radical changes to benefit the working hours of the teachers involved in his member schools. His efforts have made a significant impact in education quality by improving the work environment for the teachers. In addition to pioneering agreements in the educational sector, Ankersen and his team successfully balance and bridge negotiations and demands from schools, law firms, ministries, private enterprises and varying other stakeholders. ‘When you operate in this stakeholder environment, and when you understand that Danske Erhvervsskoler’s legal counselling must co-operate with the fields of politics, administration and economy, the obligations and importance of legal counselling become obvious’. Nominators pinpoint and credit, his dedication to the sector, specialised knowledge of education legislation and ‘flair for communication and cooperation with the various partners of the organisation’ as truly outstanding.