BWHW

What BWHW does

BWHW (Bildungswerk der Hessischen Wirtschaft e.V.) is a Frankfurt am Main-headquartered, registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1974 and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. It is institutionally tied to the Hessian employer associations (Unternehmerverbände) and operates more than 60 physical training locations across the German states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, with additional affiliated entities including BWRW, BWNW, BTZ Kassel, Bildungshaus Bad Nauheim, Wirtschaft integriert, CONSULT Personaldienstleistungen, PRO INKLUSIO, Unternehmensnetzwerk Inklusion, BWHW Forschung, SchuleWirtschaft Hessen, KomPo7, and Arbeitgeberinitiative Teilqualifizierung, organized under the BWHW-Gruppe umbrella.

The organization's service portfolio is structured around five integrated business areas: (1) Schule, Studium & Beruf (school-to-career transition), (2) Ausbildung, Qualifizierung & Integration (apprenticeship and qualification), (3) Unternehmen, Personal & Entwicklung (corporate training and consulting), (4) Gesundheit, Rehabilitation & Inklusion (rehabilitation and disability inclusion), and (5) Erziehung, Pflege & Beruf (family and caregiver support). Its core digital offering is the Online-Akademie, a virtual academy providing more than 800 courses and retraining programs (Umschulungen) on a modern digital learning platform. The underlying technology stack is modest — Matomo for anonymous web analytics, plus YouTube, Vimeo, and Google Maps embeds — and the public website is localized into twelve languages to serve migrant and integration segments.

BWHW makes money through a hybrid revenue model: (a) per-participant fees for individual seminars and retraining programs, payable within 14 days of invoice and always prior to seminar start, with schedule-tiered cancellation penalties (40% up to 4 weeks, 80% up to 1 week, 100% within 1 week); (b) customized corporate training and HR consulting contracts for employer clients, scoped individually and often running on multi-year terms; and (c) publicly-funded programs such as the Einheitliche Ansprechstellen für Arbeitgeber (EAA) — centralized employer-consultation points BWHW operates in nine Hessian municipalities to support the hiring of people with severe disabilities — and integration projects such as 'Wirtschaft integriert', which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024. Customer segments span individual job seekers, apprentices, employed professionals, teachers, students, migrants, people with disabilities, and a corporate / employer client base across all industries; revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

BWHW

Legal name

Bildungswerk der Hessischen Wirtschaft e. V.

Website

https://bwhw.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BWHW is a non-profit educational institution affiliated with Hessian employer associations, operating 60+ training centers across Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. It delivers vocational training, qualification, integration, and rehabilitation services to individuals and corporate clients, supplemented by an 800+ course Online Academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education and Training Services

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Workplace Culture, Engagement & Wellbeing Training (EDABAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH), Internships, Externships & Work-Based Learning Placement (EDAMAKAB), Online/Hybrid ASE Programs & Virtual Classrooms (EDAAABAG)

Keywords

• Vocational education services
• Workforce training programs
• Professional qualification courses
• Apprenticeship placement support
• HR consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices38 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and qualification services for individuals: Fees charged to individual participants for seminars, courses, and retraining programs. Payment due within 14 days of invoice; always prior to seminar start. Cancellation fees of 40% (up to 4 weeks), 80% (up to 1 week), or 100% (less than 1 week before or voluntary abandonment).
2. Training and consulting services for companies: Customized training, qualification, and HR consulting programs for businesses across all industries, funded by employers or public programs.
3. Public-funded programs (e.g., EAA, Integration programs): Government-funded programs such as the Einheitliche Ansprechstellen für Arbeitgeber (EAA) in Hessian municipalities, supporting employers in hiring people with severe disabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BWHW (Bildungswerk der Hessischen Wirtschaft e.V.) delivers vocational education, qualification, and integration services across five integrated business fields: school-to-career transition, apprenticeship and qualification, corporate HR consulting, rehabilitation and disability inclusion, and family/caregiver support. Its core digital product is the Online-Akademie, a self-service virtual learning platform offering more than 800 courses and retraining programs (Umschulungen). The organization operates a network of more than 60 physical training centers across Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, complemented by public-funded programs such as the Einheitliche Ansprechstellen für Arbeitgeber (EAA).

Product overview

BWHW (Bildungswerk der Hessischen Wirtschaft e.V.) is a multi-service educational and training organization offering a comprehensive portfolio organized into five main business areas: (1) Schule, Studium & Beruf (education and career guidance), (2) Ausbildung, Qualifizierung & Integration (training and integration), (3) Unternehmen, Personal & Entwicklung (corporate training and development), (4) Gesundheit, Rehabilitation & Inklusion (rehabilitation and inclusion), and (5) Erziehung, Pflege & Beruf (childcare and family support). The core product offering includes the Online-Akademie with over 800 digital courses and retraining programs, supplemented by specialized services like the EAA employer consultation points, the KomPo7 competency assessment tool, and the 'Wirtschaft integriert' integration project. Services target diverse groups including job seekers, trainees, employees, teachers, people with disabilities, students, and immigrants across over 60 locations in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Online-Akademie: Virtual online academy offering over 800 courses for professional development and retraining
• Wirtschaft integriert
• Einheitliche Ansprechstellen für Arbeitgeber (EAA)

Products and services

• Online-Akademie
• Schule, Studium & Beruf (School, Study & Career Services)
• Ausbildung, Qualifizierung & Integration (Apprenticeship, Qualification & Integration)
• Unternehmen, Personal & Entwicklung (Corporate Training and HR Development)
• Gesundheit, Rehabilitation & Inklusion (Health, Rehabilitation & Inclusion)
• Erziehung, Pflege & Beruf (Childcare, Care & Work-Life Services)
• Einheitliche Ansprechstellen für Arbeitgeber (EAA)
• Kompetenzfeststellungsverfahren KomPo7
• Wirtschaft integriert

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 years of 'Wirtschaft integriert' project celebrated in Fulda, with ~80 guests from politics, business, and employment administration

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bildungswerk der rheinland-rheinhessischen Wirtschaft (BWRW)minorOthersRegional partner organization with its own website (bwrw.de), sharing educational objectives in the Rhineland-Hesse region.
• Bildungswerk der nordhessischen Wirtschaft (BWNW)minorOthersRegional partner organization (bwnw.de) serving Northern Hesse, part of the collaborative network of Hessian economic education institutions.
• BTZ Kassel (Berufliches Trainingszentrum)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVocational Training Center Kassel (btz-kassel.de) — partner for vocational rehabilitation and training services.
• Bildungshaus Bad NauheimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinuing education and conference venue (bildungshausbadnauheim.de) used for seminars and training events.
• Wirtschaft integriertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship inclusion program celebrating its 10th anniversary, promoting employment integration of people with disabilities in Hessian companies; featured at the Fulda site with political and business leadership attendance.
• CONSULT PersonaldienstleistungenminorOthersStaffing and personnel services provider (consult-gmbh.de), part of the BWHW network ecosystem.
• PRO INKLUSIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialized inclusion initiative (pro-inklusio.org) focused on promoting inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.
• Unternehmensnetzwerk InklusioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer network for inclusion (unternehmens-netzwerk-inklusion.de) — a key initiative connecting companies committed to disability-inclusive hiring.
• BWHW Forschung (Research Center)coreTechnology or IntegrationInternal research arm (bwhw-forschung.de) conducting applied research in vocational education, rehabilitation, and labor market integration; a subsidiary within the BWHW group.
• SchuleWirtschaft Hessen / LAG Schule-WirtschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHessian State Working Group 'School-Business' (schule-wirtschaft-hessen.de) — bridges schools and businesses to improve career orientation and transition; operates under BWHW as a subsidiary initiative.
• Arbeitgeberinitiative TeilqualifizierungminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer initiative for partial qualification (nachqualifizierung.de) — supports workers without formal vocational qualifications in obtaining recognized partial qualifications.
• BWHW-GruppeminorOthersCorporate group umbrella website (bwhw-gruppe.de) connecting BWHW's subsidiary companies and initiatives under one digital hub.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• bfz (Berufliche Fortbildungszentren der Bayerischen Wirtschaft): Sister organization to bbw within the Bavarian employer-association network; offers vocational retraining, continuing education, and integration services under the same employer-affiliated non-profit model BWHW uses. Highly comparable service portfolio and target customer segments.
• BBQ Berufliche Bildung gGmbH: Non-profit vocational education provider affiliated with the Baden-Württemberg employer associations, offering training, retraining, and integration services under a structurally similar model to BWHW across another German state.
• Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (bbw): The Bavarian counterpart to BWHW; both are Bildungswerke of the respective state employer associations (Unternehmerverbände) and operate the same regional vocational training, apprenticeship, and integration model — only the state (Bavaria vs. Hesse) differs. Most directly comparable organization in the German non-profit Bildungswerk network.
• Kolping Bildungswerk: Non-profit vocational education and integration provider with German-wide operations, focused on apprenticeships, retraining, and social integration — overlapping directly with BWHW's job-seeker, apprentice, and migrant-integration customer segments.
• bbw Bildungswerk der Wirtschaft (Berlin/Brandenburg): Berlin/Brandenburg counterpart in the same employer-affiliated Bildungswerk network; runs vocational training, apprenticeship, and integration services under a near-identical structure, differing from BWHW only in state footprint.

Broad incumbents

• WBS TRAINING: One of Germany's largest private vocational retraining and continuing-education providers, with a national footprint and strong digital delivery. Competes with BWHW's Online-Akademie for job-seeker retraining (Umschulungen) and corporate upskilling budgets across all German states.
• DEKRA Akademie: The vocational training and retraining arm of the DEKRA certification group; offers nationwide Umschulungen, continuing education, and integration programs across Germany, directly competing with BWHW's corporate and individual training offerings but at a larger, for-profit scale.
• IHK (Industrie- und Handelskammer) Training Centers: German Chambers of Industry and Commerce operate apprenticeship and continuing-education programs that overlap with BWHW's Ausbildung, Qualifizierung & Integration business area; serve the same corporate-employer base through a different (chamber-mandated) governance model.
• TÜV Rheinland Akademie: Training arm of TÜV Rheinland offering certified vocational qualifications, retraining, and continuing education nationally. Overlaps with BWHW's corporate training (Unternehmen, Personal & Entwicklung) and individual upskilling segments.

Emerging players

• GFN GmbH: Private vocational retraining and IT-training provider that increasingly competes for publicly-funded AZAV-certified course participants — overlapping with BWHW's Online-Akademie and individual retraining (Umschulung) offerings through digital-first delivery.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bwhw
• Instagraminstagram.com/bwhw_official

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries13 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 BWHW