Karackter

Name

Karackter

Legal name

Karackter B.V.

Website

https://karackter.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Training Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (56132)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Career Transition, Re-entry & Employability Support (Mid-career, Returnships) (EDAAAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local & Regional Generalist Staffing Agencies (BPACACAH), Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO), Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL)

Keywords

• Work-based learning programs
• Vocational training construction
• Civil engineering reskilling
• Career change retraining
• Construction staffing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gouda

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Werving & Selectie (Recruitment Fee): Fee-based recruitment service for companies seeking to hire candidates directly. When a candidate introduced by Karackter is hired, Karackter charges a success fee of 25% of the candidate's gross annual salary, with a minimum of €7,000 plus VAT.
2. Detachering (Temporary Staffing): Temporary staffing service where Karackter places candidates at employer companies for a defined period. The first two years of the training program operate under a detachment arrangement. Employers pay an hourly rate as specified in the assignment confirmation, billed biweekly based on timesheets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Karackter runs two-year Dutch BBL (work-study) Leerwerktraject programs that retrain career changers into the construction (Bouwkunde) and civil engineering / infrastructure (Grond-, Weg- en Waterbouw) sectors, leading to an mbo-4 diploma. Candidates work four days per week at a host company (leerwerkbedrijf) and attend school one day per week, while Karackter handles selection, external coaching, and a two-year Detachering arrangement before candidates transition to direct employment. Employers are also served through a Werving & Selectie placement service charging a 25% success fee (minimum €7,000 + VAT).

Product overview

Karackter is a Dutch vocational training provider offering a unified portfolio of work-based learning (BBL) programs. The core offerings consist of two parallel mbo-4 diploma tracks: Bouwkunde (Construction) and Grond-, Weg- en Waterbouw (Civil Engineering/Infrastructure). Both programs follow an identical structure: four days of practical work per week at a host company plus one day of theoretical education. Supporting services include a strenge selection process, personal coaching, and a two-year detachment arrangement before candidates transition to direct employment with the host company. Target roles include Werkvoorbereider, Calculator, Uitvoerder, BIM-engineer, and Toezichthouder.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BBL Leerwerktraject Bouwkunde

Quantifiable outcome

• MBO-4 diploma in 2 years (vs. 4 years standard)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ScaldacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Educational partnership with Scalda in Goes, Zeeland for providing GWW (Grond-, Weg- en Waterbouw) training. This is a new training location opening September 2024, allowing Karackter to expand its national presence and serve candidates in the Zeeland region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• USG People (Recruit): Established Dutch staffing and HR services firm (part of Recruit Group) with detacheren and werving & selectie capabilities. Competes for the same employer clients as Karackter on construction-sector placements but does not run an integrated BBL/MBO-4 retraining program.
• Tempo-Team (Adecco Group): One of the largest Dutch staffing agencies with detacheren, werving & selectie, and omscholing offerings. Comparable to Karackter on employer matching and temporary placement but much broader in sector coverage and lacking Karackter's 5-year retention guarantee.
• Randstad NV: Dutch-headquartered global staffing leader with substantial construction and technical division in the Netherlands. Overlaps with Karackter on the Detachering (temporary staffing) and Werving & Selectie revenue streams, but operates across all sectors and lacks Karackter's reskilling/BBL training specialization.
• Start People: National Dutch staffing brand with detacheren and werving & selectie services across multiple sectors, including construction support roles. Comparable as a competing employer-side staffing channel but without Karackter's reskilling/BBL specialization.

Others

• UWV / Werk.nl: Dutch public employment service that subsidizes omscholing and job placement, sometimes partnering with private reskillers. Comparable because it channels candidates to employers and could absorb or compete with Karackter's candidate acquisition funnel.
• Scalda: Regional Dutch MBO school (Zeeland) that is Karackter's educational partner for the GWW BBL program. Comparable because it provides the schooling leg of the BBL trajectory and could in principle partner with competing omscholers.
• Bouwend Nederland (incl. eigen opleidingsbedrijf): Dutch construction industry employers' association, which runs training and labor-market initiatives for member contractors. Comparable as an industry-affiliated channel that addresses the same skilled-worker shortage Karackter targets.

Direct peers

• Technicum: Specialized Dutch staffing brand focused on technical and industrial placements, including the construction sector. Competes with Karackter on temporary staffing and direct hire of construction mid-level roles, though without the integrated vocational retraining/BBL component.
• Vakwerkt: Dutch staffing agency focused on the bouw and techniek sectors, providing detacheren and werving & selectie services. This is the closest direct competitor to Karackter's employer-side offering, differentiated mainly by Vakwerkt's broader technical trades coverage versus Karackter's BBL-led retraining model.

Emerging players

• Yielder: Dutch omscholingsplatform that retrains career changers into technical and construction trades, then places them with employers. Most direct competitor to Karackter's zij-instroom mission and revenue model, overlapping on Werving & Selectie fees but operating more as a tech-enabled marketplace.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/karackter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Karackter