Aeres

What Aeres does

Aeres (legal name Stichting Aeres Groep) is the only green knowledge institution in the Netherlands offering accredited education, practice-oriented research, and commercial knowledge-intensive services at all levels — from practical education (PrO), through VMBO and MBO, to HBO (hogeschool) — plus professional training and agrifood recruitment. It serves approximately 15,000 enrolled students and 15,000 annual course participants across more than 20 physical locations and 80+ buildings spanning from Buitenpost in Friesland to Wageningen in Gelderland, with key campuses in Dronten (Hogeschool and MBO, including Warmonderhof, plus Aeres Farms and the Agri Innovation Centre), Almere (Hogeschool, energy-neutral circular building), and Wageningen (Hogeschool, Learning for Sustainable Development research).

Its core products are organised under sub-brands: Aeres VMBO, Aeres MBO, Aeres Hogeschool (three faculties in Almere, Dronten, Wageningen), Aeres Training Centre, Aeres Tech, Aeres Farms, and Aeres Agree (a recruitment and staffing franchise operating since 1998). Applied research runs through more than 20 lectoraten (research chairs) covering precision agriculture and smart farming, urban green and healthy city living, knowledge creation and responsive education, and ecological wisdom (insects and society). Technology infrastructure includes sensor systems, robotic weed control, plant recognition algorithms, learning analytics platforms, and a UNESCO-based Learning for Sustainable Development curriculum platform developed for the Floriade Educational Programme.

The business model combines regulated government funding from the Dutch Ministry of Education (OCW) via DUO per-student allocations, fee-based commercial professional courses through Aeres Training Centre, and transaction-based recruitment fees through Aeres Agree's staffing and placement services. The entity operates as a not-for-profit foundation under Dutch law (ANBI status), with go-to-market conducted via dedicated subsites (aeresvmbo.nl, aeresmbo.nl, aereshogeschool.nl), the werkenbijaeres.nl recruitment portal, social media channels, and participation in industry events including Dutch Food Week and Floriade. Customer segments span domestic VMBO/MBO/HBO students, lifelong-learning professionals, agrifood employers, and international education partners (notably South Korea).

Name

Aeres

Legal name

Stichting Aeres Groep

Website

https://aeres.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aeres is a Dutch green knowledge foundation offering accredited VMBO, MBO, and HBO education, applied research, and commercial training to approximately 15,000 students and 15,000 professionals across the agrofood and green-living sectors in the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Agricultural Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisory (AFACABAE)

Keywords

• Vocational agricultural education
• Green sector training
• Applied agrifood research
• Agrifood staffing services
• Professional development courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Ede

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding (Rijksoverheid / DUO): Aeres receives government funding from the Dutch Ministry of Education (OCW) for providing accredited educational programmes at VMBO, MBO, and HBO levels. Funding is regulated and tied to student numbers and performance metrics reported to DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs).
2. Professional Training and Courses (Aeres Training Centre): Aeres Training Centre delivers commercial courses and training programmes for professionals in the agribusiness, food, and green sectors. These are fee-paying programmes distinct from accredited education, representing commercial knowledge-intensive services.
3. Staffing and Recruitment Services (Aeres Agree): Aeres Agree charges employers in the agrifood sector for recruitment, selection, temporary placement, and detachment of higher-educated professionals. Revenue is generated through placement fees and/or service contracts with client companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aeres is a Dutch green knowledge institution that delivers education, practice-oriented research, and commercial knowledge-intensive services across the full agricultural value chain. Its portfolio spans preparatory secondary education (VMBO), intermediate vocational education (MBO), applied sciences higher education (Hogeschool), practical training (pro), and lifelong learning through commercial courses. It also operates staffing and recruitment services for the agrifood sector and runs applied research through its lectoraten.

Product overview

Aeres is a comprehensive Dutch green knowledge institution offering education at all levels from practical education (pro) through vmbo, mbo, and hbo, along with commercial training services and applied research. The organization operates as a unified portfolio of sub-brands: Aeres VMBO and Aeres MBO provide secondary vocational education across multiple regional campuses; Aeres Hogeschool delivers higher professional education with three faculties (Almere, Dronten, Wageningen) and over 20 lectoraten for applied research; Aeres Training Centre and Aeres Tech offer professional development and technical training; Aeres Farms and the Agri Innovation Centre provide hands-on research facilities; and Aeres Agree handles specialized recruitment for the agrifood sector. The institution's core mission focuses on developing 'Groene Veranderaars' (Green Changemakers) through education, research, and entrepreneurship in the agro, food, and green living environment sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Groene Veranderaar: The Green Changemaker - the organization's educational philosophy and brand identity for training future professionals in sustainable agriculture and green sectors
• Aeres Agri Innovation Centre
• Aeres Hogeschool Almere
• Educatief Programma Floriade

Products and services

• Aeres VMBO Preparatory secondary vocational education (VMBO) in green/agricultural subjects, targeted at Dutch secondary school students preparing for intermediate vocational education or entry into the green labour market.
• Aeres MBO Intermediate vocational education (MBO) programmes in the agrifood and green sectors, offering professional training at Levels 2–4 for students entering the Dutch green workforce.
• Aeres Hogeschool (Applied Sciences) Bachelor-level higher professional education (HBO) programmes in fields such as agribusiness, animal husbandry, horticulture, food chain management, and international food and agribusiness, with embedded lectoraten research.
• Aeres Praktijkonderwijs (Practical Education) Practical (pro) education pathway for students preparing for the labour market, focused on hands-on green-sector skills and workplace readiness.
• Aeres Training Centre Commercial training and lifelong-learning courses for working professionals in the international agrifood sector, including both short specialist courses and contracted in-company training programmes.
• Aeres Agree Recruitment, staffing and job-placement service dedicated to the Dutch agrifood and green sectors, connecting qualified candidates (often Aeres alumni) with employers in the sector.
• Aeres Farms Network of practical training farms and educational facilities used as living labs and hands-on learning environments for Aeres students and trainees across the agrifood chain.
• Aeres Tech Vocational and applied training in agricultural technology, including precision-farming, smart-farming and technical systems used in modern farming and the broader agrifood industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Twofold increase in GL/TL (theoretical learning pathway) student enrolment at Aeres VMBO Emmeloord following the Eight Green Worlds implementation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• BO AkkerbouwcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Aeres signed the Gedragscode Datagebruik Agrifood (Agrifood Data Use Code of Conduct) as the first educational institution in the Netherlands. The code contains agreements on safe, transparent, and responsible handling of agricultural data such as sensor data, machine data, and business process data. The full Aeres organisation endorsed the code, which will be integrated into curricula and research practices.
• Yeoju Agricultural Highschool (South Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2024Aeres signed an MoU with South Korea's Yeoju Agricultural Highschool to support the modernisation of Korean agricultural education. The collaboration includes developing new curricula aligned with labour market needs, establishing a leading training centre for working farmers (Leven Lang Ontwikkelen), and hosting 12 Korean teachers for a Netherlands study tour. Aeres Hogeschool Dronten will lead the cooperation, with involvement from Aeres MBO and Aeres Hogeschool Wageningen.
• Floriade (World Horticultural Exposition)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Aeres served as knowledge partner for the Floriade world horticultural exhibition and developed the Floriade Educational Programme — an online learning programme for youth aged 12–20 in the Netherlands. The programme enables students to work on authentic sustainability challenges using UNESCO's Learning for Sustainable Development methodology.
• Dutch Food WeekmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Aeres has been an education partner of Dutch Food Week for multiple years, integrating food, sustainability, and agricultural education themes into its programmes and hosting related events and student activities.
• Coöperatie Leren voor MorgenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeres participates in the annual Duurzame Docent Verkiezing (Sustainable Teacher Election) organised by Coöperatie Leren voor Morgen, which provides a platform for teachers helping students navigate sustainability challenges.
• GroenpactmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeres works extensively with Groenpact across its educational levels. Aeres participated in the development of the 'Eight Green Worlds' framework for green vocational education and is part of the broader Groenpact network promoting green sector careers and curriculum innovation.
• Regieorgaan SIA (NWO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeres Hogeschool receives research funding through Regieorgaan SIA (part of NWO — Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) for its lectoraten and applied research programmes in areas such as precision agriculture, smart farming, and urban green.
• Groeifonds Regeneratieve Landbouw (Growth Fund Regenerative Agriculture)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeres Hogeschool Dronten participates in the Groeifonds Regeneratieve Landbouw project, where students and entrepreneurs explore combining horses and machines innovatively — for example, using a horse to power a state-of-the-art weeding robot.
• De Vlinderstichting (Butterfly Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeres uses LedEmmer traps supplied by the Butterfly Foundation for its rewilding research, where students photograph and report nocturnal moth data to contribute to official biodiversity monitoring managed by the foundation.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeres Agree has a formal partnership with all agricultural universities of applied sciences and Wageningen University. Aeres Hogeschool collaborates with WUR on educational programmes and research, and participates in the Foods Innovation Centre on the WUR campus.
• Nederlandse ambassade in Seoel (Dutch Embassy in Seoul)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch embassy in Seoul facilitated the relationship between Aeres and Yeoju Agricultural Highschool and has supported previous international training programmes for Korean students at Aeres Hogeschool Dronten.
• Groen KennisnetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeres shares its developed biodiversity curriculum materials via Groen Kennisnet, making them available to green vocational schools across the Netherlands.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nordwin College: Dutch regional MBO focused on agriculture, veterinary and green sectors, with locations in Friesland and North Holland — overlaps directly with Aeres MBO Leeuwarden, Heerenveen, and Buitenpost.
• Yuverta: Large Dutch green/agricultural MBO and VMBO operator formed via merger (formerly Wellantcollege and others); directly competes with Aeres VMBO and Aeres MBO for green-vocational students across the Netherlands.
• Helicon MBO: Dutch MBO specialising in agriculture, food, animal care, and green technology — a direct vocational-level competitor to Aeres MBO across overlapping green sectors and regions.
• HAS Green Academy: Dutch university of applied sciences focused on agriculture, food and the living environment with bachelor/master programmes and applied research — closest direct HBO peer to Aeres Hogeschool, both serving the same green talent pipeline.
• Lentiz Onderwijsgroep: Dutch green-focused MBO and VMBO group covering agriculture, horticulture, food, and technology — directly comparable to Aeres's VMBO/MBO portfolio and competes in the same green-vocational market.
• Citaverde College: Limburg-based Dutch MBO and VMBO focused on green, agri and care education — comparable to Aeres at the regional VMBO/MBO level with a similar agricultural and green curriculum orientation.

Emerging players

• SRUC (Scotland's Rural College): UK provider of land-based and rural higher education, vocational training, and applied research — the closest international analogue to Aeres's combined education, research, and commercial training model.
• Royal Agricultural University: UK specialist university focused on agriculture, land management and food — comparable applied-research and teaching model for green-sector graduates competing in international talent pipelines.
• BOKU (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna): Austrian university for natural resources, life sciences and agriculture — comparable European applied-research and green-education university with similar lectorate-style research chairs and vocational mission.

Broad incumbents

• Wageningen University & Research: Netherlands' flagship green and food research university; partner and structural competitor covering the same agrifood/green knowledge space at a much larger scale, including HBO-level Van Hall Larenstein offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aeresnl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiFj-DuOKVqiUyJIvdXxT7Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/AeresNL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aeres-groep

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aeres