Gibb

What Gibb does

gibb Berufsfachschule Bern is a public vocational school operating under the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, and is the largest vocational school in the country (Grösste Berufsfachschule der Schweiz). Founded in 1826 as a private Sunday handicraft school, gibb has evolved over two centuries into a multi-location institution with approximately 750 employees serving 7,000+ apprentices across more than 60 professions, 1,000 Berufsmaturität (vocational baccalaureate) students, and 1,000 continuing education participants — roughly 9,000+ learners in total — through 7 physical school sites in Bern.

The institution delivers three program lines: initial vocational training (Grundbildung) leading to federally recognized EFZ or EBA certifications; Berufsmaturität offering pathways to Swiss universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen); and fee-based continuing education (Weiterbildung) including preparation for federal BP and HFP professional exams. The technology footprint is operations-oriented rather than commercial: a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program with Microsoft 365 licenses for all learners, WebUntis scheduling, smartlearn LMS, LEMA attendance management, Ilias for course delivery, GitLab for IT programs, Evento for events, Roomz for room booking, and a centralized IT service desk. A custom "gibb Dashboard" provides students with personalized access to schedules, grades, and documents.

The business model is predominantly public-sector funding: as a cantonal institution, gibb receives government funding for Grundbildung (free for students with an apprenticeship training contract) and generates supplementary revenue through continuing education course fees and an annual school material fee (Schulmaterialgeld). Distribution is via physical school locations and a digital dashboard, with the apprenticeship model itself requiring close partnership with regional Ausbildungsbetriebe (training companies) that supply the practical workplace component. Gibb is not a commercial entity — it does not sell SaaS, license technology, or compete for enterprise customers — and is therefore not a typical PE/VC/M&A target.

Name

Gibb

Legal name

gibb Berufsfachschule Bern

Website

https://gibb.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1826

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Switzerland's largest vocational school (gibb Berufsfachschule Bern) providing initial vocational training, Berufsmaturität, and continuing education to 9,000+ students across 60+ professions from 7 Bern locations, publicly funded by the Canton of Bern.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education and Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce & Career Transition Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAC), Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure) (EDAAAEAD)

Keywords

• Vocational education
• Berufsmatura programs
• Continuing education
• Apprenticeship training
• Professional certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vocational Training (Grundbildung): Government-funded vocational education programs. As a public institution under the Canton of Bern, Gibb receives public funding for initial vocational training (Berufslehre). Students with a training contract receive education at no cost.
2. Continuing Education (Weiterbildung): Fee-based continuing education courses and programs for professionals, including preparation courses for federal exams (Berufsprüfungen BP and Höhere Fachprüfungen HFP). Revenue generated through course fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

gibb Berufsfachschule Bern is the largest vocational school in Switzerland, providing public-funded initial vocational training (Grundbildung) across 60+ professions leading to federally recognized EFZ and EBA certifications, alongside Berufsmaturität (vocational baccalaureate) programs and fee-based continuing education (Weiterbildung) courses. It serves approximately 7,000 apprentices, 1,000 Berufsmaturität students, and 1,000 continuing education students annually across seven Bern campuses, delivering practice-oriented education aligned with workplace requirements in partnership with Ausbildungsbetriebe (training companies).

Product overview

Gibb Berufsfachschule Bern is a vocational school institution, not a software product company. It does not offer a technology product, SaaS platform, or software-as-a-service offering. The organization provides vocational education and training programs (Grundbildung), professional maturity certificates (Berufsmaturität), and continuing education courses (Weiterbildung). While the school operates various internal IT systems and digital learning platforms for its own educational operations, these are internal tools and not commercial products or services offered to external customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grundbildung (Initial Vocational Training / Berufslehre)

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,000+ students trained annually across vocational, BM, and continuing education programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swiss OlympiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership as a Swiss Olympic Label School. This recognition indicates that gibb's sports education programs meet Swiss Olympic's quality standards for talent promotion in sports. Students benefit from enhanced sports education and talent development programs.
• EFVETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Federation of Vocational Education and Training membership. Provides international networking and best practice exchange in vocational education across Europe.
• KMU Stadt BernminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with small and medium enterprises in Bern for apprenticeship placement and practical training coordination.
• Berufsschule für Bautechnik BS08 HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation between gibb's Bau (construction) department and BS08 Hamburg. Includes exchange programs and joint projects in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Reality training.
• Lernendenfonds SponsorsminorOthersCorporate sponsors supporting the Student Fund (Lernendenfonds): 4insiders, Adecco, Aeins, Blinkdrive, AG Personal, Dailyjob, EIT Bern, Handwerkspartner, Seelandjob, Freie Temporär. These companies provide financial support to students in need.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bildungszentrum Winterthur (BZW): Cantonal vocational school serving the Winterthur region with Berufslehre across trades, Berufsmaturität, and continuing education programs. Structurally and operationally comparable to Gibb as a public Swiss vocational institution serving apprentices from a single canton.
• Berufsschule Aarau (BSA): Public vocational school in Aarau (Canton Aargau) providing Berufslehre and continuing education in multiple professions. Operates under the same cantonal public-funding framework as Gibb and serves a directly comparable learner population.
• BVS Bülach (Berufsvorbereitende Schule Bülach): Cantonal vocational school in the Zürich metropolitan area delivering apprenticeships and bridging programs. Comparable to Gibb as a public vocational institution focused on trades and crafts.
• BBBaden (Berufsfachschule Baden): Vocational school serving Canton Aargau with apprenticeships, Berufsmaturität, and continuing education across trade and craft professions. Directly comparable in scope, funding model, and target learner segments to Gibb's offerings.
• Berufsfachschule Basel (Allg. Gewerbeschule Basel): Public vocational school in Basel offering apprenticeships, professional maturity, and continuing education across multiple trades and crafts. Another comparable cantonal vocational institution with similar scope and governance.
• Berufsschule für Bautechnik BS08 Hamburg: German vocational school specializing in construction trades and a documented strategic partner of Gibb for BIM/VR curriculum development. Directly comparable in pedagogical model (dual apprenticeship + classroom), serving the same trade occupations.
• BZU Berufsfachschule Zürich: Largest direct competitor — another major cantonal vocational school in Switzerland (Canton of Zürich) offering multi-trade apprenticeships, Berufsmaturität, and continuing education under a similar public-institution model. Comparable scale, governance structure, and program breadth, making it the most analogous reference point.
• bbz Biel (Berufsbildungszentrum Biel): Bilingual public vocational training center serving the Bern-adjacent bilingual region, offering apprenticeships and Berufsmaturität. Comparable in mission, scope, and public-funding structure to Gibb.
• GBS St. Gallen (Gewerbliches Berufs- und Weiterbildungszentrum): Public vocational and continuing education center for Canton St. Gallen, offering apprenticeship training and professional maturity programs across multiple trades. Mirrors Gibb's cantonal public-institution structure with similar scope of vocational programs.

Others

• EFVET (European Federation of Vocational Education and Training): European industry body for vocational education of which Gibb is a member. Provides networking, best-practice exchange, and policy advocacy; comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Gibbberufsfachschulebern
• Facebookfacebook.com/gibb.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gewerblich-industrielle-berufsschule-bern
• Instagraminstagram.com/gibb.ch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Gibb