Name

GAFÖG employment promotion company

Legal name

GAFÖG Arbeitsförderungsgesellschaft gGmbH

Website

https://gafoeg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training and Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Entity Setup & Expansion Advisory (Market Entry, Subsidiary Formation) (BPACAHAM)

Keywords

• Vocational training services
• Employment promotion programs
• Labor market integration
• Workforce qualification services
• Debt counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gelsenkirchen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Employment Agency Contracts: GAFÖG is predominantly commissioned by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) within the Gelsenkirchen and Recklinghausen agency districts, and by regional Jobcenter organizations. Revenue is earned through contracts for delivering labor market services including vocational training, retraining, activation, and placement programs — all funded by public social insurance systems.
2. EU, Federal, State and Municipal Grant Funding: GAFÖG receives European Union (ESF), German Federal Republic (BMAS), State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and municipal co-financing for designated labor market programs. These represent non-repayable grant funds tied to specific program objectives and target groups.
3. Social Insurance Providers (Berufsgenossenschaften, Rentenversicherungsträger): Berufsgenossenschaften (professional associations) and pension/invalidity insurance providers contribute to program revenues when GAFÖG conducts measures targeted at their insured members, such as vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities.
4. Commercial Services (Auftragsarbeiten / Contracted Commercial Work): GAFÖG carries out commercial production and service contracts for public-sector clients and private-sector companies, and also private individual clients. These 'Auftragsarbeiten gewerblich-technisch' (commercial-technical contract work) in areas such as dry construction, metalwork, painting, woodwork, and landscaping generate additional revenue.
5. Municipal Co-financing for Publicly-Funded Employment: In the 'publicly-funded employment' segment, municipalities (e.g., the cities of Gelsenkirchen and Bottrop) provide optional co-financing for employment programs. Gelsenkirchen additionally funds the GAFÖG debt counseling (Schuldnerberatung) service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GAFÖG is a non-profit employment promotion company that delivers publicly-funded vocational education, retraining, and qualification programs across more than a dozen trade and service sectors (electrical, metalwork, wood, painting, warehouse/logistics, landscaping, healthcare, household, regulatory enforcement). Programs are funded by government Bildungsgutschein (education vouchers) and Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein (activation/placement vouchers) issued by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit and Jobcenter. The organization also runs commercial-technical contract work (Auftragsarbeiten) for public and private clients, municipal debt and insolvency counseling, and labor market activation/integration projects for vulnerable target groups.

Product overview

GAFÖG is a non-profit employment promotion company (Arbeitsförderungsgesellschaft) offering a portfolio of vocational education and qualification programs across multiple technical sectors including electrical, metalworking, wood, painting, garden landscaping, health and social care, household economics, warehouse/logistics, and regulatory enforcement. The core offering is funded through Bildungsgutschein (education vouchers) from the Employment Agency or Jobcenter. The company also provides commercial-technical contract work services, municipal debt and insolvency counseling, and various labor market activation projects for specific target groups including youth, refugees, and rehabilitation candidates. Key sub-products include a 24-month administrative retraining program, a 14-month disability workshop specialist qualification, exam preparation courses, and a 3-day forklift license course. The company operates multiple training workshops and locations in Gelsenkirchen, Bottrop, and Bochum, supported by a public-private partnership between municipalities and private businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GAFÖG-Tafelgarten: A community garden project where long-term unemployed individuals grow vegetables for local food banks (Tafeln). Operating in Bochum and Bottrop.
• BEST AGER

Products and services

• Bildung und Qualifizierung (Education and Qualification) Vocational education and qualification programs across multiple technical and service sectors (electrical, metal, wood, painting, warehouse/logistics, garden/landscaping, household, health/social, regulatory enforcement), funded by Bildungsgutschein education vouchers issued by Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter.
• Auftragsarbeiten gewerblich-technisch (Commercial-Technical Contract Work) Contract manufacturing and services for public-sector clients, private-sector companies, and private individuals, including dry construction, metalwork, painting, woodwork, and garden landscaping.
• Schuldner- und Insolvenzberatung (Debt and Insolvency Counseling)

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RCE Ruhr (Regionales Kompetenzzentrum für Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2023GAFÖG became an official network partner of RCE Ruhr — a UNU (United Nations University) recognized Regional Competence Centre for Education for Sustainable Development — as of 04.04.2023 (celebrated on 31.08.2023). RCE Ruhr's mission is to promote Education for Sustainable Development (BNE) in the Ruhr metropolitan region through network-building. GAFÖG contributes project ideas (e.g., 'Färben mit Pflanzen' / dyeing with plants) and participates in cross-sector networking with schools, kindergartens, government, politics, and civil society.
• Private Shareholders: IntUV, Hermann Liesenklas GmbH & Co. KG, HHK GmbH, IBK Wiesehahn GmbH, MC-Bauchemie Müller GmbH & Co., Pilkington Deutschland AG, Storck Baugesellschaft mbH, Waffelfabrik Oexmann GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEight private companies are shareholders alongside the three municipalities in the GAFÖG PPP. Their involvement ensures that GAFÖG's training programs are aligned with real workforce needs of regional craft businesses and industrial companies, and that graduates are oriented toward the primary (open) labor market rather than sheltered employment. This distinguishes GAFÖG from purely municipal employment societies.
• TÜV NORD BILDUNGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTÜV NORD BILDUNG participated alongside GAFÖG in the 'Modernes Handwerk' education fair (September 2022) and appears as an institutional partner for vocational qualification and testing, aligning with GAFÖG's training programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• INA Bildungsgesellschaft: Non-profit education and qualification provider focused on commercial-technical trades and labor-market reintegration. Comparable in scope to GAFÖG's Auftragsarbeiten / commercial-technical contract work and trade qualification offerings.
• Europäisches Bildungswerk (EBW): Vocational education and labor-market services provider active across several German states, often co-funded via ESF and AZAV. Closely comparable to GAFÖG's combination of trade retraining, activation, and ESF-co-financed projects.

Broad incumbents

• Berufliche Fortbildungszentren der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (bfz): Network of publicly-funded qualification and labor-market integration centers. Operates the same AZAV-certified qualification and activation model as GAFÖG and frequently competes for regional Jobcenter framework contracts.
• Internationaler Bund (IB): Large national non-profit education and social services provider operating across youth, refugee, and labor-market programs. Overlaps with GAFÖG's Arbeitsmarktprojekte and publicly-funded employment offerings but at significantly greater national scale.
• DEKRA Akademie: Subsidiary of DEKRA e.V. offering AZAV-certified vocational training, retraining, and labor-market integration services nationwide. Competes for the same Jobcenter and Agentur-für-Arbeit framework contracts as GAFÖG but with broader geographic coverage.
• Kolping Bildungswerk: Non-profit Catholic-affiliated education network offering vocational qualification, retraining, and labor-market integration. Overlaps with GAFÖG's publicly-funded activation and qualification programs across multiple German regions.

Emerging players

• gsub (Gesellschaft für soziale Unternehmensberatung mbH): Berlin-based social consultancy administering ESF-funded labor-market and education programs. Comparable to GAFÖG as a publicly-funded intermediary administering EU/federal/state labor-market grants, with overlap in activation and integration projects.

Direct peers

• Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (bbw gGmbH): Non-profit vocational education and labor-market services provider jointly run by Bavarian employers' associations and trade unions. Operates the same AZAV-certified, publicly-funded qualification model as GAFÖG and serves as a benchmark for the regional Wirtschaft Bildungswerk concept.
• Fortbildungsakademie der Wirtschaft (FAW gGmbH): Non-profit qualification and labor-market services provider affiliated with German employers' associations. Directly comparable to GAFÖG in offering publicly-commissioned retraining (Umschulung), activation, and placement across trades and commercial sectors via AZAV-certified programs.
• TÜV NORD BILDUNG: German vocational training and qualification provider operating AZAV-certified programs across trades and industry. Directly comparable to GAFÖG as a publicly-funded Bildungs- und Qualifizierungsträger; TÜV NORD BILDUNG has explicitly co-participated in GAFÖG's 'Modernes Handwerk' education fair.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/gafoeg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about GAFÖG employment promotion company