SVEB Schweizerischer Verband für Weiterbildung

Name

SVEB Schweizerischer Verband für Weiterbildung

Legal name

SVEB Schweizerischer Verband für Weiterbildung

Website

https://alice.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult and Continuing Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

GED/HiSET Preparation & Instruction (EDAAABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adult Learner Support Services (Advising, Case Management, Wraparound Supports) (EDAAABAJ), Curriculum, Instructional Materials & Practice Testing for GED/HiSET (EDAAABAO), Diagnostic Assessment, Placement & Progress Testing (ASE) (EDAAABAE)

Keywords

• Adult education association
• Continuing education quality
• Trainer certification programs
• Education policy advocacy
• Professional development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SVEB members include provider organizations, associations, in-house training departments, and individuals who pay membership dues to the national umbrella organization.
2. State Subsidies: Since 2017, SVEB has maintained a performance agreement with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) covering a substantial part of its specialist work.
3. National and European Project Activities: SVEB generates revenue through participation in national and European project activities including EU projects.
4. Services, Products and Publications: Revenue from sale of services, products and publications including the specialized journal 'Education Permanente', studies, practical tools, and educational materials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SVEB is the Swiss national umbrella organization for adult education, providing membership services to 750 institutions, operating the national continuing education portal alice.ch and the course database weiterbildung.swiss with approximately 40,000 courses, and administering the eduQua national quality label and the AdA training-of-trainers system. Its work includes research, sector monitoring, advocacy, publications, and practical tools for adult education providers and trainers across Switzerland's three language regions.

Product overview

SVEB Schweizerischer Verband für Weiterbildung operates as the Swiss national umbrella organization for adult education, functioning as both an association and advocacy body. Its product portfolio centers on four interconnected areas: (1) Platforms and Portals — alice.ch serves as the national continuing education information portal, while weiterbildung.swiss provides a searchable database of approximately 40,000 courses; (2) Quality and Certification Systems — the eduQua quality label for training providers and the national AdA (Training-of-Trainers) modular system including SVEB certificates and the federal trainer diploma; (3) Research and Knowledge Products — sector monitoring through FOCUS Weiterbildung and SVEB-Branchenmonitor studies, the Think Tank TRANSIT for future-oriented perspectives, and the specialized journal Education Permanente published twice yearly; (4) Practical Tools and Methods — the GO-Modell for workplace basic skills promotion and the Klima-Check for assessing institutional climate-friendliness. Additional services include the Bildungspass documentation tool, regional education voucher programs across Swiss cantons, a job market for the sector, and various publications and studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• weiterbildung.swiss: National course database with approximately 40,000 continuing education and training courses across all topics of general and job-related continuing education
• Education Permanente (EP)
• eduQua
• Think Tank TRANSIT

Products and services

• alice.ch (Adult Learning Information Center) National continuing education and training platform and portal providing information for experts and monitoring all major subject-specific and education policy developments in continuing education and training.
• weiterbildung.swiss Course Database National course database containing approximately 40,000 continuing education and training courses across all topics of general and job-related continuing education and training.
• Education Permanente (EP) Journal Specialist journal published twice a year, serving as the only specialist journal in Switzerland specializing in continuing education and training.
• AdA-Baukastensystem (Training-of-Trainers Modular System) National training-of-trainers system for which SVEB provides the administrative office. Includes SVEB certificates, federal trainer diplomas, and the AdA modular qualification framework.
• eduQua Quality Label National quality label specifically developed for providers of continuing education and training. SVEB heads the eduQua office and is responsible for the label system and its development.
• FOCUS Weiterbildung (Sector Monitor) Regular research study monitoring the continuing education sector, examining competition, provider strategies, and market developments.
• SVEB-Branchenmonitor (Branch Monitor) Sector monitoring activities tracking developments and trends in the Swiss continuing education market.
• Think Tank TRANSIT Think tank focused on the future of adult learning, producing trend reports and perspectives for continuing education.
• GO-Modell (Upskilling at the Workplace) A five-step method and working tool for promoting basic skills in the workplace, designed for continuing education providers to help employees whose basic skills are insufficient due to technological development.
• Klima-Check (Climate Check) Practical tool developed in collaboration with myclimate to help continuing education institutions assess their climate-friendliness, conduct self-evaluations, and develop climate-relevant measures based on the whole institution approach.
• SVEB-Zertifikate (SVEB Certificates) SVEB trainer certificates for adult educators, including the basic SVEB certificate and the SVEB Professional Practice Trainer Certificate.
• Eidgenössischer Fachausweis Ausbilder/in (Federal Trainer Diploma) Swiss federal examination certificate for trainers of adults, the highest formal qualification in the national training-of-trainers system.
• Bildungspass (Education Passport) Documentation tool for recording and tracking continuing education participation and qualifications.
• Bildungsgutscheine (Education Vouchers) Voucher programs implemented in various Swiss cantons (Aargau, Freiburg, Zentralschweiz, Schwyz, Zug) to promote access to continuing education.
• Stellenmarkt (Job Market) Job portal for the continuing education sector, allowing employers to post job listings and job seekers to search for positions in adult education.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Since 2017, SVEB has maintained a performance agreement with SERI covering a substantial part of its specialist work. This represents the organization's primary government partnership for education policy engagement.
• European Basic Skills Network (EBSN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011SVEB is one of the initiators and founding members of EBSN, which has approximately 80 members from across Europe. SVEB has always been represented on the EBSN board - previously by Bernhard Grämiger and Cäcilia Märki, now by Caroline Meier Quevedo.
• European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1951SVEB was a founding member of the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and currently has representation on its board through Marianne Müller. EAEA provides direct access to relevant developments at EU level.
• MovetiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSVEB and Movetia have maintained an important partnership for many years, jointly promoting European mobility and cooperation projects in the field of adult education. The institutions have extended their cooperation agreement to continue their collaboration.
• myclimatemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSVEB collaborated with myclimate to develop the Climate Check tool - a practical instrument that systematically helps institutions assess their own climate-friendliness. Starting 2026, SVEB offers workshops jointly with myclimate.
• Think Tank TRANSITmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSVEB operates the Think Tank TRANSIT for the future of adult learning, which publishes trend reports and develops innovative approaches to adult education and surrounding conditions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Learning and Work Institute: UK charity focused on lifelong learning, adult skills policy, and research; comparable to SVEB in combining research, advocacy, and policy advisory work for the adult-education sector.
• Folkbildningsrådet (Swedish National Council of Adult Education): Swedish government-linked council that disburses state funding to adult-education associations; comparable in the public-finance-for-adult-learning model and national remit, but operating in a Nordic policy context.
• Ö-Cert: Austrian quality certification body for adult education providers, run as a cooperation between federal ministry, states, and associations; directly comparable to SVEB's eduQua label in mandate and structure.

Broad incumbents

• European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA): The pan-European umbrella for adult education of which SVEB is a founding member; comparable in mandate but operating at a supranational level across 60+ member organizations across Europe.
• Klubschule Migros: Switzerland's largest private adult-education provider, listed on weiterbildung.swiss and a likely SVEB member; comparable as a major Swiss continuing-education operator that the umbrella organization represents and certifies.

Emerging players

• Coursera: Global digital adult-education platform whose university and employer partnerships increasingly compete with traditional continuing-education providers; relevant as the disruptive peer whose growth pressures SVEB's member institutions.

Direct peers

• Deutsches Institut für Erwachsenenbildung (DIE): Germany's national research and development institute for adult education, closely comparable to SVEB's research, Think Tank TRANSIT, and FOCUS Weiterbildung functions in policy-oriented continuing-education research.
• European Basic Skills Network (EBSN): European network for basic-skills adult education co-founded by SVEB, with ~80 member institutions; comparable in its basic-skills policy advocacy and project-driven revenue mix.
• Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband (DVV): The German national umbrella association for adult education centers (Volkshochschulen), operating a parallel model to SVEB with member institutions, quality frameworks, and policy advocacy across a neighboring DACH market.

Others

• Movetia: Swiss agency promoting education mobility and European cooperation projects; a direct strategic partner of SVEB and a comparable public-funded actor in the same Swiss continuing-education ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOHiOZRfJIWsvu2e2jgpFuQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schweizerischer-verband-f%C3%BCr-weiterbildung-sveb

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 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 SVEB Schweizerischer Verband für Weiterbildung