Ikast Brande Kommune

In the heart of Jutland - you can talk to us

www.ikast-brande.dk

We have a global mindset Ikast-Brande Municipality might not be very big, but hard work and determination has created an active and globally oriented community.

Every day the world becomes increasingly global. Danish businesses trade internationally and employ foreign workers, while more and more Danes venture abroad in the search for new challenges. As a municipality we are very conscious of this when it comes to work, child care, and education.

History speaks for itself. Hærvejen (The Army Way – an ancient trackway), the Jutland ridge and the many lakes and streams have through the years created a backdrop to which the inhabitants of the area have adapted. Today, the old Uldjyde or ‘Wool-Jutlander’ has been replaced with the global merchant, and an unquenchable entrepreneurial thirst has given us a view that stretches far beyond the borders of both municipality and country.

The citizens of Midtjylland (Mid-Jutland) are made of something special.

We are focusing on business Quick and competent work, cross-disciplinary collaboration and constructive dialogue are all important ingredients in the working relationship between the municipality and the business community. This is something we are good at in Ikast-Brande, and not just if we must say so ourselves. In 2010 Ikast-Brande was named as Denmark’s best municipality for business.

From politicians to civil servants we have one goal: to find solutions instead of getting caught up in limitations. We meet the businesses on their level and find solutions that fit their individual needs. When a company contacts the municipality to either buy land for development, to expand their business or to acquire manpower, we are there to help them.

Our infrastructure is good with easy access to Herning, Århus, Trekantsområdet (the triangle area of Vejle, Fredericia and Kolding), and the two international Airports, Billund and Karup, all within an hour’s drive.

Contact: Business Consultant Tel.: +45 9960 4152 / +45 5139 8590, mail: lonel@ikast-brande.dk CEO Henning Hansen Tel.: +45 9960 4011 / +45 2027 9777, mail: hehan@ikast-brande.dk

We attract business Ikast-Brande’s entrepreneurial spirit, the infrastructure, and the pulsating business community attracts small and large businesses to Ikast-Brande. In 2009 we sold more land for business development than any other municipality in Denmark.

The municipality is home to small businesses with few employees, medium sized businesses, as well as large corporations with more than 15,000 employees worldwide.

Ikast-Brande used to be known as a textile production area. Today, large parts of the production itself has been outsourced, while areas like design and administration in many cases still remain here in the municipality. Knowledge intensive and green businesses are also characteristic for the area. Add to that a number of businesses in the wholesale trade and the production sector.

The wide variety of businesses and workplaces offer a long line of exciting job opportunities for everyone, from unskilled labourers to academics.

Contact: Business Consultant Lone Neldeberg Tel.: +45 9960 4152 / +45 5139 8590, mail: lonel@ikast-brande.dk CEO Henning Hansen Tel.: +45 9960 4011 / +45 2027 9777, mail: hehan@ikast-brande.dk Job Market Manager Birgit Thorup Tel.: +45 9960 4202, mail: bitho@ikast-brande.dk

We have beautiful nature Ikast-Brande Municipality is situated in an area of great natural beauty, with lakes, streams, and moors. Take a walk on HÌrvejen (The Army Way – an ancient trackway) and experience the traces of times past. Visit Harrild Hede (Harrild Moor) and experience wild deer and rare bird species. Or go for a walk or take a bike ride round one of the lakes. You could also choose to go on a fishing trip or venture out in a canoe or a kayak.

For the children we have several woodland and nature playgrounds.

We would of course like to preserve this beautiful nature, which is why the municipality has made an agreement with The Danish Society for Nature Conservation of to become a climate municipality. This means that we have committed ourselves to reducing our carbon emissions by a minimum of two percent every year.

Contact: Ikast-Brande Tourist Board, www.visitikast-brande.dk

We offer childcare guarantee and international educations In today’s modern society circumstances can change from day to day. This is why we offer childcare guarantee from the day you need it. For the very young children this means either private day care or nurseries, while children from age 2 to 9 years are offered a place in on of the municipality’s day care centres.

We even have an international day care centre, in which English is the spoken language.

When the children are 5 or 6 years old they can enrol in one of the municipality’s 13 state schools. Here we also offer a choice of an international school.

International School Ikast-Brande is situated next to the international day care centre and uses the internationally recognised Cambridge Educational System.

The system ensures smooth transition to other international schools in other countries. The school’s leaving exam grants access to International Baccalaureate (IB) upper secondary schools in most parts of the world.

One of these schools is Ikast-Brande Gymnasium (in Danish an upper secondary school is called a gymnasium). The international Gymnasium gives the students access to universities in more than 100 countries. Thus we offer an international education from nursery age right up to the Upper Secondary School Leaving Examination. For further education we have the School for Bachelor Degree in Social Education in Ikast, while many other types of educations are available in Herning, a distance of less than 15 kilometres.

Contact: International School Ikast-Brande, www.isib.dk, tel.: +45 9715 6465 Ikast-Brande Gymnasium, www.ikast-gym.dk, tel.: +45 9715 3611 School for Bachelor Degree in Social Education in Ikast www.viauc.dk/paedagog/ikast, tel.: +45 8755 3755 Education in Herning, www.uddannelsesbyherning.dk

We offer sports and culture at a high level Ikast-Brande Municipality is well known for its sports scene - on professional as well as amateur level. We are home to the Football Academy operating under FC Midtjylland, Sportstar College, the sports boarding school and the sports folk school (Idrætsefterskolen and Idrætshøjskolen), together known as ISI, as well as the professional golf coach education.

The municipality offers handball, football, badminton, volleyball, taekwondo and golf at top level, but we have many other sports clubs offering a huge variety of disciplines.

All in all there are 255 approved clubs and societies in the municipality, covering everything from music, culture, and hobbies, to international and religious societies. In Ikast-Brande Municipality we have great respect for all the volunteers who play a big part in creating such a diversity in the areas of culture, sports and leisure. We support initiatives that maintain and expand voluntary leadership.

The municipality has several exciting libraries, cinemas, music schools and museums, and the two cultural hubs, “Remisen” in Brande and “Bakkehuset” in Ikast, offer a long line of exciting events throughout the year.

If you like world famous artists then Herning is only a short drive away - Herning is home to Denmark’s first multi-arena, which already has attracted international sports and music events to the area.

Contact: Sportstar College, www.sportstarcollege.dk Idrætsskolerne Ikast (Ikast Sports Schools), www.isi.dk Remisen, www.remisenbrande.dk - Bakkehuset, www.bakkehus.dk Biblioteket (Library), www.ikast-brandebibliotek.dk Ikast Swimming and Wellness Center, www.svommecenter.dk Ikast-Brande Music school, www.ikastbrandemusikskole.dk Kultur og fritid (Culture and leisure), Ikast-Brande Kommune kulturogfritidsafdeling@ikast-brande.dk

We welcome new citizens In Ikast-Brande Municipality we welcome new citizens. We have an agreement with the municipality’s housing societies where newcomers from abroad will be first in line for housing.

If you would like to build your own home we also offer great possibilities. We have a long line of plots all over the municipality. Whether you prefer the city or the countryside, we have the right location for you. And they are cheap.

We like to get to know our new citizens a little bit better. This is why we, in collaboration with the tourist board, twice annually organise a tour of the municipality. All newcomers furthermore receive a welcome package containing complimentary tickets for a variety of events.

In Ikast-Brande Municipality we say “we�, because we have great experience with working together across the municipality, the business community, the societies, and the citizens to create the best possible environment for us all.

Contact: Borgerservice (Citizen Services), Ikast-Brande Municipality Tel.: +45 9960 4000, email post@ikast-brande.dk, www.ikast-brande.dk

We have an international society The International Society Herning & Ikast-Brande is a community for internationally minded people working and living in Herning or Ikast-Brande. The members of the society share their experiences on how to overcome cross-cultural barriers and help newcomers to integrate faster in the community.

The society organises activities for international workers, students, their family members, international Danes, businesses and everyone who is open to becoming a part of a social network.

Contact: International Society Herning, Ikast-Brande, www.internationalsociety.dk Biblioteket (Library), tel.: +45 9960 5120, www.ikast-brandebibliotek.dk

Printed matter eco-labelled with the Nordic Swan 541-658

Ikast-Brande Denmark’s best municipality for business - Confederation of Danish Industry 2010

g

Aalborg

Skive

Randers Viborg Holstebro st Karup

Ikast

Silkeborg

Herning

Århus

Skanderborg Brande

Nørre Snede Horsens

Billund

Vejle

Fredericia Esbjerg Kolding

Rådhusstrædet 6 DK-7430 Ikast Tel.: +45 9960 4000 Fax: +45 9960 4040 E-mail: post@ikast-brande.dk www.ikast-brande.dk

THE EUROPEAN UNION The European Social Fund

www.ikast-brande.dk