Firda

What Firda does

Firda is a Dutch MBO (Middelbaar Beroepsonderwijs) vocational education institution headquartered in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, operating 19 physical campuses across the Friesland and Flevoland provinces. The institution delivers more than 200 accredited mbo programs to over 25,000 students annually, spanning sectors including healthcare, technology, hospitality, maritime, security, and construction, with both BOL (school-based) and BBL (work-integrated) learning pathways. Firda also serves 8,000+ adult learners per year through 260+ continuing education programs and microcredentials, and runs an integrated network of student-operated learning businesses (restaurants Kiem and LEF, hair and beauty salons, and project bureaus Link and FLINK) that provide hands-on practical training while generating incremental revenue.

The underlying technology stack centers on MijnFirda, a digital student portal for enrollment, course management, and communication. Firda's primary differentiator is its Practoraten model, a set of applied research centers organized around domain themes such as Applied AI, Sustainable Development, Lifelong Learning, Frisian and Multilingualism, Applied Care Innovation, and Fisheries Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which connect curriculum to industry practice.

Firda's revenue model is hybrid: government-funded MBO subsidies and student loans for youth education, direct tuition for adult learners (e.g., €495-€1,850 per course), employer-paid corporate training contracts, and transactional revenue from student-run businesses. The institution holds NRTO, Blik op Werk, and CRKBO quality certifications and is recognized as an 'erkend leerbedrijf.' Distribution occurs through campus-based direct enrollment, an event-driven go-to-market model (open days, school events), and a dedicated team of opleidingsadviseurs (training advisors) who serve corporate clients. Firda also collaborates with SBB, the national body governing recognized learning companies, and is developing a new campus in the Sportstadgebied area of Heerenveen in partnership with the local municipality and Sportstad Heerenveen.

Name

Firda

Legal name

Firda

Website

https://firda.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Firda is a Dutch MBO vocational education institution operating 19 campuses across Friesland and Flevoland, delivering 200+ programs to 25,000+ students and serving youth learners, adults seeking microcredentials, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) (BPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Vocational education programs
• Adult continuing education
• Corporate workforce training
• Work-integrated learning
• Professional microcredentials

Headquarters

HQ city

Urk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. MBO Education (BOL/BBL): Government-funded vocational education for youth (Jongerenonderwijs) under the Dutch mbo system, funded through student loans and government subsidies.
2. Adult Education (Volwassenenonderwijs): Paid educational programs for adults including microcredentials, courses, and professional training. Adult learners pay tuition for specialized programs.
3. Corporate Training Services: Customized training programs for businesses, including skills development, re-training, and upskilling of employees. Revenue generated through employer-paid training contracts.
4. Learning Business Operations: Student-run businesses including restaurants (Kiem, LEF), hair salons, beauty salons, and project bureaus that generate revenue while providing practical training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Firda is a Dutch MBO (vocational education) institution delivering BOL and BBL programs for young people, paid continuing education and microcredentials for adults, and customized corporate training for employers. It supplements classroom instruction with practical training through more than 200 youth programs, 260+ adult programs, and a network of student-operated training companies (leerbedrijven) including restaurants, salons and project bureaus across 19 regional campuses.

Product overview

Firda is a Dutch MBO (vocational education) institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and practical training opportunities. The institution operates a platform-plus-modules architecture consisting of core educational offerings (Jongerenonderwijs for youth MBO education and Volwassenenonderwijs for adult learners), supplemented by multiple practical training sub-brands including two student-run restaurants (KIEM and LEF), a hairdresser and beauty salon, and two project bureaus (Link and FLINK). These training companies provide students with real-world work experience as part of their vocational education. Firda also collaborates with recognized leerbedrijven (training companies) to expand practical learning opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leer jezelf het leven door: Company tagline meaning 'Teach yourself life through'
• Link
• FLINK
• Kiem
• LEF
• MijnFirda

Products and services

• Jongerenonderwijs (MBO Youth Education) Vocational MBO programs (level 1-4) for young people, combining school-based learning (BOL) and work-integrated learning (BBL) pathways, covering more than 200 program tracks across technology, healthcare, hospitality, security, maritime and other fields.
• Volwassenenonderwijs (Adult Education) Paid continuing education for adults including microcredentials, full MBO qualifications, language courses (inburgering/Nederlands) and professional development programs, offered online, in classroom and in-company formats.
• Corporate Training Services (Voor bedrijven) Customized employer-paid training programs covering skills development, re-skilling, upskilling, BBL apprenticeship coordination and subsidy guidance for businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Student satisfaction rating of 7.7 for adult education programs

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Gemeente Heerenveen (Municipality of Heerenveen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026Collaboration on the development of a new Firda campus in the Sportstadgebied (Sports City area) of Heerenveen. The municipality is working with Firda to create educational infrastructure in the region.
• Sportstad HeerenveencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026Partnership for the development of a new Firda campus within the Sportstad Heerenveen sports complex area. Joint initiative combining education with sports facilities.
• sc HeerenveencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026Football club partner in the Sportstadgebied campus development project. Collaboration to integrate sports and educational facilities in Heerenveen.
• SBB (Stichting Samenwerking Beroepsonderwijs Bedrijfsleven)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization for cooperation between vocational education and business. Manages recognition of learning companies (leerbedrijven) where mbo students can do internships.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Summa College: Large MBO institution in Eindhoven region with 20,000+ students across 200+ programs and similar adult education and corporate training offerings — a strong scale-and-portfolio comparable.
• Aventus: MBO institution in Apeldoorn serving multiple sectors with comparable BOL/BBL, adult education, and corporate training offerings — directly comparable regional MBO peer.
• Scalda: MBO school in Zeeland with similar youth and adult education programs plus work-based learning pathways — a regional MBO peer in the same Dutch funding and regulatory framework.
• Nordwin College: Historical peer; Nordwin College merged into Firda. Mentioned because it represents the same Friesland MBO market Firda serves today.
• Curio: Dutch MBO school in West Brabant with comparable vocational program breadth, BBL/BOL pathways, and adult education division — closely matches Firda's structure and target segments.
• ROC Mondriaan: Major Dutch MBO institution in The Hague region offering comparable BOL/BBL vocational programs across technology, healthcare, hospitality, and services — directly comparable in product mix, government funding model, and multi-campus structure.
• Koning Willem I College: MBO institution in 's-Hertogenbosch offering multi-sector vocational training, adult education, and corporate services — comparable in program breadth, funding mix, and Dutch regional positioning.
• ROC Friesland (now Firda): Historical direct peer and predecessor; ROC Friesland College and Nordwin College merged to form Firda, making it the same institution today rather than a current external peer.

Broad incumbents

• NCOI Groep: One of the largest Dutch private vocational and higher-education providers; competes with Firda's adult education and corporate training portfolio, with broader nationwide reach and more developed digital delivery.

Emerging players

• SkillsTown: Online-first Dutch upskilling platform focused on professional and corporate training; overlaps with Firda's adult-education and microcredential programs but competes on digital delivery and price.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100087893221980
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roc-friese-poort-urk

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Firda