It was formed in its present form by a merger in 1988 between Danmarks Brevskole (The Danish Correspondence School, founded in 1916, Handelsflådens Kursuscenter (The Merchant navy education centre, founded in 1964) was merged in 1994.
Thus the companies involved have provided distance education for more than 80 years.
The companies are controlled by the Danish Ministry of Education which approves all courses all teaching staff and the business administration .
All new courses have to be approved by the Ministry before they are offered to the public.
The state-control system does not exist any longer, but the companies are still treated as state controlled colleges by the Ministry of Education (Vocational Education and training).
In collaboration with the Danish ship owners and under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry (Education of seafarers), the institute instructs mate and engineer apprentices. Senior personnel are also trained and technical and general courses provided for offshore rigs.
The yachtmaster's certificate of 3rd and 1st grade is also offered, and students prepared for the official examinations .
The Specialised Business Studies (Merkonom Education) is offered at a distance to students working overseas and individuals who are unable to follow classroom training. The courses are built up in a modular system and students who pass six modules within a given field, are awarded the mercantile diploma in either accounting, business organisation, management, marketing, personnel administration, transport or purchasing.
The institute offers individual courses in Danish, English mathematics, physics, psychology at the basic Vocational education level.
The Danish distance training colleges are not authorized by the Ministry of Education to arrange examinations.
70% of the students enrolled, nevertheless, sit for a public examination, which gives an official qualification recognised by the state.
The value of distance education qualification on the job market is not very high. In Denmark it is the result of a public examination, not the process of education that is admired.