What Oberlinhaus does

Oberlinhaus Berufsbildung gGmbH is the vocational training arm of the Verein Oberlinhaus, a Protestant charitable social welfare organization founded in 1870 and headquartered in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany. It operates the only Berufsbildungswerk (vocational training center for people with disabilities) in the state of Brandenburg and is one of 52 such institutions in Germany. The organization serves young people with autism spectrum conditions, physical, learning, psychological, and multiple disabilities through a comprehensive pathway from vocational preparation (Berufsvorbereitung) to certified training across 30+ state-recognized occupations in 6–7 specialist departments (including Druck & Medien, Einzelhandel & Lagerwirtschaft, Ernährung & Hauswirtschaft, Holztechnik, IT-Berufe und Elektrotechnik, Metalltechnik, and Wirtschaft & Verwaltung), and finally to placement in the primary labor market. Approximately 450 participants are supported annually by 300+ specialized employees, with the integrated Potsdam-Babelsberg campus also housing Berufliche Schulen (vocational schools), Oberlinschule and Norberthausschule (special schools), Werkstätten (workshops), Rehazentrum (rehabilitation center), Lebenswelten (youth welfare services), and Oberlinklinik (orthopedic clinic).

The business model is non-profit and structurally public: services are funded by German Rehabilitationsträger (cost bearers) — health insurance, Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, and accident insurance — supplemented by state subsidies from Brandenburg and Potsdam, plus donations channeled through the Oberlinstiftung foundation. Oberlinhaus holds the 'Qualitätssiegel Autismusgerechtes Berufsbildungswerk' certification, distinguishing it as a center with autism-tailored vocational programs. Distribution is referral-driven: participants arrive via Förderschulen (special needs schools), counseling centers, medical/psychological facilities, and Jugendämter, while employer partnerships (Unternehmerfrühstück, Inklusiver Kaffeeklatsch with Bundesagentur für Arbeit) drive downstream placement. Marketing leverages content (website, podcast, YouTube Simple-Show) and community events (Oberlympics inclusive sports festival with 800 participants). The organization's technology profile centers on TOP.KI, a NLP-based tool to render exam questions in accessible language, alongside modern Skills Lab facilities for nursing education. Strategic expansion into the Pflegeschule (nursing school, 150 trainee capacity, opened 2024), Psy-RENA aftercare program, Sehen Plus consulting center, and a 6-place Inobhutnahme crisis facility (2026) reflects diversification into adjacent social services. The majority of the Oberlinklinik is slated for transfer to the Alexianer group in January 2027.

Name

Oberlinhaus

Legal name

Oberlinhaus Berufsbildung gGmbH

Website

https://oberlin-berufsbildung.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Oberlinhaus is the only Berufsbildungswerk in Brandenburg, Germany, providing vocational training, education, and rehabilitation services for young people with disabilities across 30+ recognized occupations, supported by 300+ specialized employees and funded primarily by German social insurance cost bearers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Rehabilitation and Special Education Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Transition & Supported Living Navigation (EDAKANAK), Disability Case Management, Retention & Student Support (EDALAGAJ)

Keywords

• Vocational rehabilitation
• Disability services
• Special education
• Inclusive employment
• Autism vocational training

Headquarters

HQ city

Potsdam

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Insurance / Rehabilitation Funding: Funded by rehabilitation cost bearers (Rehabilitationsträger) including health insurance, pension insurance, employment agencies, and accident insurance. This covers vocational training and preparation programs for people with disabilities.
2. Public Funding and Subsidies: Receives government funding for educational and social services, with support from Brandenburg state and the city of Potsdam.
3. Donations (Oberlinstiftung): Charitable donations through Oberlinstiftung support the Berufsbildungswerk. IBAN: DE86 5206 0410 0008 0229 76 at Evangelische Bank eG.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Oberlinhaus Berufsbildung provides vocational preparation, vocational training in over 30 state-recognized occupations across 6 specialist areas, and employment placement services for young people with learning, physical, psychological, and multiple disabilities (including autism spectrum). The organization delivers these services directly on its integrated Potsdam-Babelsberg campus alongside complementary offerings including nursing education (Pflegeschule), special schools (Oberlinschule, Norberthausschule), sheltered workshops (Werkstätten), rehabilitation services (Rehazentrum with Psy-RENA aftercare), child and youth welfare (Lebenswelten), and visual perception counseling (Sehen Plus).

Product overview

Oberlinhaus Berufsbildung is a vocational training center (Berufsbildungswerk) providing educational and rehabilitation services for young people with disabilities. It is not a technology product company but a social/educational institution offering vocational preparation, training across 30+ recognized occupations in 6-7 specialist areas, and support services. The organization operates as a unified campus in Potsdam-Babelsberg including the Berufsbildungswerk, Berufliche Schulen (vocational schools), Oberlinschule, Norberthausschule, Werkstätten (workshops), Rehazentrum (rehabilitation center), and Oberlinklinik.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TOP.KI: Project for linguistic optimization of exam questions using artificial intelligence
• Psy-RENA
• Inklusives Theater MITEINANDERs
• Sehen Plus

Products and services

• Berufsbildungswerk (Vocational Training Center) Vocational preparation, vocational training in 30+ state-recognized occupations across 6 specialist areas (printing/media, retail/warehousing, nutrition/household, wood technology, IT/electrical, metal technology, business/administration), and supported transition into the primary labor market for approximately 450 young people annually with autism, learning, physical, psychological, and multiple disabilities. Funded by Rehabilitationsträger and operated on the integrated Potsdam-Babelsberg campus with on-site housing and therapy.
• Berufliche Schulen im Oberlinhaus (Vocational Schools) State-recognized vocational school programs offering theoretical instruction paired with the practical training at the Berufsbildungswerk, including the new Pflegeschule (nursing school) program with capacity for 150 trainees annually. Serves students seeking recognized professional qualifications in nursing and other fields on the integrated Potsdam-Babelsberg campus.
• Pflegeschule (Nursing School) Nursing education program offering state-recognized training for up to 150 trainees annually in a barrier-free facility equipped with modern Skills Lab simulation technology. Designed to address Brandenburg's projected shortage of 44,000 nursing professionals by 2030 and recognized with the Wichernplakette 2025 from Diakonie Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz.
• Oberlinschule (Special School) Special school serving approximately 330 children and adolescents with physical, motor, and autism disabilities from 10 Brandenburg districts and Berlin. Operated under free sponsorship (freie Trägerschaft) since 1990 and housed in a fully accessible, pedagogically adapted building since 2011.
• Norberthausschule (Special School) Special school for children with disabilities operated as part of the Oberlinhaus Berufsbildung network, complementing the Oberlinschule as an additional special education offering within the organization's portfolio.
• Werkstätten im Oberlinhaus (Sheltered Workshops) Workshops on the Hermannswerder site (Tornowstraße 29a) providing employment, training, and creative opportunities for people with disabilities. Includes the new theater workshop offering inclusive performances through the Theater MITEINANDERs ensemble combining workshop employees with professional actors.
• Rehazentrum im Oberlinhaus (Rehabilitation Center) Ambulatory orthopedic and psychosomatic rehabilitation services located at the Mutterhaus site (Rudolf-Breitscheid-Straße 24), including the Psy-RENA aftercare program launched April 1, 2026 offering 25 group sessions plus intake and discharge interviews for Deutsche Rentenversicherung-insured persons following psychosomatic rehabilitation.
• Lebenswelten im Oberlinhaus (Child and Youth Welfare Services) Child and youth welfare services including foster care and crisis intervention, encompassing the new Inobhutnahme-Stelle (opened January 2026) offering barrier-free crisis housing for 6 children and youth aged 4-18 with and without disabilities in Potsdam-Babelsberg. Construction costs approximately EUR 2 million, co-funded by Landeshauptstadt Potsdam.
• Beratungsstelle Sehen Plus (Visual Perception Counseling Center) Visual perception screening and counseling center for children and youth, providing comprehensive diagnostic services. Funded by Aktion Mensch with EUR 400,000 through July 2029.
• Autismusgerechtes Berufsbildungswerk (Autism-Friendly Vocational Training Program) Specialized vocational training program tailored to the needs of people with autism spectrum conditions, certified by the Qualitätssiegel autismusgerechtes Berufsbildungswerk awarded by Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Berufsbildungswerke e.V. and Verein Autismus Deutschland. Integrated within the Berufsbildungswerk's 7 specialist departments and supported by the 2026 Themenjahr Autismus awareness initiative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful completion of vocational training and placement in primary labor market
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MedwingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026International nursing recruitment platform participating in expert panel on successful recruitment of international nursing professionals at Oberlinhaus event.
• Lingoda HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Language training provider for healthcare professionals participating in expert panel on international nursing workforce development.
• IQ-Kompass BerufsanerkennungminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Advising service for professional recognition of international qualifications, part of integration support for foreign nursing staff.
• Internationale Organisation für Migration (IOM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026UN migration organization offering PAVE project for qualification pathways for international health professionals.
• Filmpark BabelsbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for inclusive events including 'ACTION INCLUSIVE' action day. Oberlinhaus's Easy Language testing group reviews the park for accessibility. Joint development of accessible leisure experiences for people with and without disabilities.
• Bundesagentur für ArbeitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Employment Agency collaborates on inclusive employment initiatives. Jointly organizes events like Inklusiver Kaffeeklatsch for connecting employers with people with disabilities.
• Netzwerk Arbeit inklusivcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network including Oberlinhaus that works on inclusive employment. Organizes events connecting employers with potential employees with disabilities.
• Theater MITEINANDERsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusive theater ensemble where Oberlinhaus Werkstätten employees perform together with professional actors. Project-based cooperation with the theater workshop.
• Einstein-Gymnasium, Helmholtz-Gymnasium, Schiller-Schule, OberlinschuleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal schools participating in Oberlympics inclusive sports festival alongside Oberlinhaus Auszubildenden and Werkstätten employees.
• Jahn'sche Stiftung Glindow, Autohaus Babelsberg, BNI Potsdam, ProPotsdam, and othersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsors and supporters of Oberlympics inclusive sports festival, contributing prizes and support for the event.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Alexianer GmbH: Major Catholic healthcare company (35,000 employees, ~2.3 billion EUR revenue in 2024) acquiring majority stake in Oberlinklinik from Oberlinhaus. Becomes a strategic partner rather than direct competitor, but also operates rehabilitation and care facilities for people with disabilities in some regions.

Broad incumbents

• Diakonie Deutschland: National umbrella organization of Protestant social welfare services in Germany, with member organizations providing vocational rehabilitation, disability services, and nursing education. Oberlinhaus operates within the Diakonie ecosystem, as evidenced by the Wichernplakette 2025 award.
• Caritas Behindertenhilfe: National Catholic social welfare network operating Berufsbildungswerke, Werkstätten, and Wohnheime for people with disabilities across Germany. Provides the Catholic counterpart to Diakonie and competes/coordinates with Oberlinhaus's Protestant network at the policy and cost-bearer level.
• CJD (Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands): Large German Christian social welfare organization operating vocational training, education, and youth services nationwide. Significantly larger scale than Oberlinhaus but with overlapping offerings in disability vocational training and rehabilitation across multiple Bundesländer.

Direct peers

• Hephata Diakonie: Diakonie-affiliated social services organization in Hessen providing vocational training, workshops, and residential services for people with disabilities. Comparable integrated service model combining Berufsbildungswerk, Werkstätten, and Wohnen under one organizational umbrella.
• Josefsheim Bigge: Non-profit in North Rhine-Westphalia providing vocational training, residential care, and workshops for people with disabilities. Operates a comparable Berufsbildungswerk and Werkstätten model under the Caritas/IN VIA network with similar cost-bearer funding structure.
• Stiftung ICP München (Berufsbildungswerk München): Foundation operating the Berufsbildungswerk München, providing vocational training for young people with physical disabilities in Bavaria. Direct peer along product (BBW vocational training) and target market (young people with disabilities transitioning to employment).
• Evangelische Stiftung Volmarstein: Protestant foundation in North Rhine-Westphalia operating one of Germany's largest Berufsbildungswerke alongside clinics, workshops, and schools. Highly comparable integrated service model with similar cost-bearer funding and target population of people with disabilities.
• Berufsbildungswerk Waiblingen: One of the 52 Berufsbildungswerke in Germany serving Baden-Württemberg. Operates the same model of vocational training and rehabilitation for young people with disabilities, making it a directly comparable peer along product, target market, and funding model.
• SRH Berufsbildungswerk Neckargemünd: SRH-operated Berufsbildungswerk providing vocational rehabilitation for young people with disabilities in Baden-Württemberg. Part of the larger SRH education group but operates the same BBW model as Oberlinhaus, serving comparable target populations with similar funding structures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oberlinhaus
• Facebookfacebook.com/bbw.potsdam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vereinoberlinhaus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Oberlinhaus