BFB Bildung Formation Biel-Bienne

Name

BFB Bildung Formation Biel-Bienne

Legal name

BFB – Bildung Formation Biel-Bienne

Website

https://bfb-bielbienne.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational and Continuing Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (6112), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure) (EDAAAEAD)

Keywords

• Vocational education
• Continuing education
• Federal certification programs
• Commercial apprenticeships
• Bilingual professional training

Headquarters

HQ city

Biel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Diploma and Certificate Courses: Revenue from comprehensive diploma programs and certificate courses including federal certifications. Programs range from 1-3 semesters with full course fees charged upfront or by semester with installment options.
2. Module-based Training: Individual modules can be booked separately from full certificate programs, allowing flexible revenue streams.
3. Corporate Training: Customized in-house training programs for companies (Firmenkurse) at negotiated rates.
4. External Examination Fees: Third-party examination fees are collected on behalf of external certification bodies (e.g., marketing-education, SVF, Anavant).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BFB delivers bilingual (German/French) initial vocational education (Grundbildung) and continuing professional education (Weiterbildung) programs, including federally certified diploma programs such as Marketing Specialist, Sales Specialist, Technical Commercialist, and Leadership Certificate, as well as apprenticeships, Berufsmaturität, and the Sporthandelsschule for elite athletes. Programs are delivered primarily in-person at the Biel-Bienne campus and prepare students for external Swiss federal examinations.

Product overview

BFB Bildung Formation Biel-Bienne is a bilingual (German/French) Swiss educational institution providing two main service lines: Grundbildung (initial vocational education) for young people including commercial apprenticeships (Kaufleute EFZ/EBA), retail specialists, pharmacy assistants, and medical practice assistants; and Weiterbildung (continuing professional education) offering certificate and diploma programs including Marketing Specialist, Sales Specialist, Technical Commercialist, and Leadership certificates. The institution also provides Berufsmaturität (vocational baccalaureate) programs in monolingual and bilingual formats, and operates as an official Swiss Olympic Partner School for elite athletes (Sporthandelsschule). Courses are delivered in-person at the Biel campus with digital learning materials, and programs prepare students for external Swiss federal examinations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grundbildung (Initial Vocational Education)

Quantifiable outcome

• Marketing Specialist exam pass rate: 77.8% vs 71.9% Swiss average
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• École Suisse (Paris)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguage travel partnership offering French language courses in Paris. Students benefit from mixed courses and courses tailored to professional language exams, with options to stay with local families and enjoy excursions.
• Karl Duisberg (Berlin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguage travel partnership offering German language courses in Berlin. Provides immersion language learning opportunities for students.
• ESL / ESL Lingua Sarl (Brighton)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguage travel partnership offering English language courses in Brighton. Partnership providing attractive prices for students to immerse in language and culture abroad.
• WKS BernminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for Marketing Specialist with Federal Diploma program. BFB refers students to WKS Bern when BFB no longer offers the program directly.
• marketing-educationcoreOthersExternal examination body for Marketing and Sales Specialist federal exams. Sets examination standards and conducts certification for the Swiss vocational education sector.
• Schweizerische Vereinigung für Führungsausbildung (SVF/ASFC)coreOthersExternal examination body for Leadership Certificate. Conducts standardized leadership certification examinations for Swiss professionals.
• Anavant Schweizerischer Verband technischer KaderleutecoreOthersExternal examination body for Technical Commercialist federal exams. Responsible for federal certification of technical managers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AKAD University: Established Swiss distance-learning institution offering federal Berufsmaturität and continuing education programs. Competes with BFB's vocational baccalaureate pathway, especially for students in regions outside Biel.

Emerging players

• HF Luzern (Höhere Fachschule Luzern): Regional higher vocational education institution offering technical and commercial management programs. Adjacent competition for BFB's Technical Commercialist and federal certificate federal credentials.

Direct peers

• EB Zürich (Europäische Brandeisschule): Swiss private vocational and continuing education institution offering commercial apprenticeships and federal certification programs. Directly competes with BFB's Grundbildung and Weiterbildung offerings.
• KV Zürich (Kaufmännischer Verband Zürich): Commercial association school in Zürich providing federal vocational and continuing education programs. Operates the same model as BFB (rooted in a kaufmännischer Verband) and offers the same federal certification tracks.
• WKS Bern (Kaufmännischer Verband Bern): Direct peer and actual partner for federal Marketing Specialist program. WKS Bern is a regional commercial association school offering the same federal continuing education tracks as BFB, with overlapping bilingual German-French service capability in the Bern region.
• ZbW Zentrum für berufliche Weiterbildung: St. Gallen-based continuing education institution offering commercial, leadership, and technical management federal certifications. Competes with BFB for working adults pursuing federal diplomas across German-speaking Switzerland.
• Feusi Bildungszentrum: Swiss private continuing education institution offering commercial, leadership, and technical commercialist federal preparation programs. Directly competes with BFB's Weiterbildung catalog in the German-speaking Swiss market.
• WISS Schulen für Wirtschaft Informatik Immobilien: Swiss vocational and continuing education provider with offerings in commerce, marketing, and leadership. Competes with BFB's federal certification programs in the German-speaking Swiss market.

Regional players

• ibW Höhere Fachschule Ostschweiz: Educational institution in eastern Switzerland offering vocational Grundbildung and federal continuing education. Comparable program structure to BFB but geographically separated.
• BWZ Lenzburg (Berufs- und Weiterbildung Lenzburg): Regional vocational and continuing education provider in the Aargau region. Comparable in scale and offering profile to BFB but operating in a different Swiss canton, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/483330538452261
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bfb-bildung-formation-biel-bienne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 BFB Bildung Formation Biel-Bienne