bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG

What bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG does

bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG is a privately held Swiss educational consulting firm founded in 1990 by Walter Goetze and headquartered in Thalwil, near Zürich. The firm provides advisory, project management, expert opinions, examination secretariat services, and training to three client segments: (1) Organizations of the Labour Market (OdA) and professional associations, which it supports on vocational education regulation development, NQR classification, examination structure design, and expert training; (2) Schools and education authorities in Switzerland and Germany, served through Q2E-based quality management, external evaluations, the Dialogimpuls program, and school development consulting; and (3) Companies, addressed through the Transferfahrplan learning-transfer methodology, competency modeling, and occupational health management aligned with EN ISO 10075.

The firm's core intellectual property is methodological rather than technological, centered on a proprietary supraordinate Kom Kompetenzmodel (overarching competency model) that maps competencies across all qualification levels of a sector, the Transferfahrplan for measuring learning transfer, the Q2E quality management framework, and the Dialogimpuls school development program. These are not software products but structured consulting processes supported by 25+ years of cross-industry project experience spanning print media, rescue services, construction, healthcare, tourism, social work, and rehabilitation technology.

Commercially, bfb operates as a sales-led boutique consultancy with approximately 7-9 employees, generating revenue through professional service fees on project, advisory, and recurring examination secretariat engagements. The firm maintains a DACH geographic footprint via its Swiss headquarters and a German subsidiary (bfb Deutschland), with named clients including viscom, Holzbau Schweiz, Forum Berufsbildung Rettungswesen, Swissmedtech, ImagingSwiss, CITEC Suisse, the Schweizerischer Gewerbeverband (sgv), Kanton Aargau, Hessisches Kultusministerium, and the Bremen Senate. No public pricing, revenue, or funding data is disclosed.

Name

bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG

Legal name

bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG

Website

https://bildungsfragen.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG is a Swiss educational consultancy founded in 1990 that advises vocational education associations, schools, and companies on competency modeling, examination administration, quality management, and learning transfer across the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education Consulting

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning, Training & Corporate Education Consulting (BPAHAGAE)

Keywords

• Vocational education consulting
• Competency modeling services
• School quality management
• Examination administration services
• Professional training advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Thalwil

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Since 1990, bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG has provided advisory services, project management, expert opinions, and training courses and seminars. Their services are adapted to client needs across three segments: OdA/Associations, Schools/Authorities, and Companies. Revenue is generated through consulting fees, project leadership, expert reports, and educational delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG is a Swiss educational consulting firm that, since 1990, has provided advisory, project management, expert opinions, and training services in the vocational and professional education sector. The firm develops overarching competency models, education regulations, examination structures, expert training, and examination secretariats for organizations of the labour market (OdA) and professional associations; delivers school quality management (Q2E), external evaluations, Dialogimpuls school development, and metaevaluations for schools and authorities in Switzerland and Germany; and offers Transferfahrplan learning transfer, competency profiles, and occupational health management to companies.

Product overview

bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG is a consulting firm specializing in vocational and professional education services, not a software platform provider. The company offers a portfolio of consulting and advisory services organized around three main client segments: (1) OdA/Associations - providing strategic management, education regulation development, examination structures, expert training, examination secretariats, and NQR consulting; (2) Schools/Authorities - offering quality management, evaluation, Dialogimpuls, and school development services; and (3) Companies - delivering Transferfahrplan, competency models, and corporate health management services. These are distinct service offerings rather than a unified software platform with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategische Steuerung (Strategic Management) Strategic management consulting for organizations of the labour market (OdA) and professional associations, including the development of overarching competency models that map competencies across all qualification levels of a sector.
• Bildungsreglemente (Education Regulations) Development and revision of education ordinances and plans for basic vocational education, examination regulations for professional exams and higher specialized exams, and framework curricula for higher technical schools.
• Prüfungsstrukturen (Examination Structures) Support for examination and quality assurance committees in building structures for competency-oriented professional and higher specialized examinations, including examination tasks and assessment criteria.
• Expertenschulung (Expert Training) Customized training programs for examination experts and examination/quality assurance committees, covering content definition, format selection, and methodological-didactic approaches.
• Prüfungssekretariat (Examination Secretariat) Full-service examination administration including registration procedures, organization and execution of examination days, and subsidy accounting with SBFI (State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation).
• NQR Beratung und Begleitung (NQR Consulting) National Qualifications Framework (NQR) consulting and support services for classification of professional qualifications, including preparation of classifications, overview creation, and certificate supplements.
• Qualitätsmanagement (Quality Management) Consulting for school administrations and quality teams on building and developing school quality management systems based on Q2E (Quality at Schools - Development and Evaluation), designed to be lean and integrated into overall school development.
• Evaluation (Evaluation) Evaluation of school experiments, concepts, and measures, support for self-evaluations, and external evaluation of quality management systems at schools in Switzerland and Germany.
• Dialogimpuls (Dialog Impulse) A program for sustainable school development that provides scientifically based instruments for change, quality, and health management, clarifying interfaces between schools and school authorities.
• Schulentwicklung (School Development) Support for stakeholders in school development processes through consulting, impulse lectures, and scientific accompaniment.
• Transferfahrplan (Transfer Roadmap) A structured, measurable process for bridging learning environments to work environments, helping companies implement knowledge transfer with measurable outcomes.
• Kompetenzmodelle (Competency Models) Development of competency profiles for companies based on job analyses, supporting hiring, training needs assessment, and employee conversations, backed by 25 years of experience.
• Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement (Corporate Health Management) Tools and consulting for assessing and clarifying psychological stress factors in the workplace, meeting EN ISO 10075 requirements, addressing stress, mobbing, and burnout.

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• Forum Berufsbildung Rettungswesen (Forum BB RW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum Berufsbildung Rettungswesen is an organization of labour in the rescue/emergency services sector. bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG operates examination secretariats and provides examination leadership for multiple emergency services qualifications managed by this organization, including Berufsprüfung Transportsanitäter/in and Höhere Fachprüfung Komplementärtherapeut/in. The relationship involves long-term operational collaboration in examination administration and quality assurance for the rescue sector.
• Annika Zurwehme (bfb Deutschland)regionalOthersAnnika Zurwehme is an organizational consultant and Managing Director of bfb Deutschland, operating under www.bildungsfragen.com. She represents the company's operations in Germany and appears to manage the German subsidiary/branch of bfb Büro für Bildungsfragen AG.
• YOCO Your Communication GmbHminorOthersYOCO Your Communication GmbH provides brand design and integrated communication services. Listed as a partner/network member on the bfb website, likely supporting the company's visual branding and communication materials.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm offering talent assessment, competency frameworks, and leadership development. Comparable as a broad incumbent in competency modeling and learning consulting, though its scale and global footprint far exceed bfb's focused niche.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung (Education division): Large German foundation running major programs in education system reform, VET, and lifelong learning. Comparable as a stakeholder shaping the same VET and qualification frameworks that bfb operates within, though operating at policy/program scale rather than as a boutique consultancy.
• Kienbaum Consultants International: German HR and management consulting firm with strong competency model and HR diagnostics practices serving large enterprises. Comparable on the corporate Transferfahrplan/Kompetenzmodel services, though Kienbaum operates at far larger scale across broader HR domains.

Direct peers

• BASS (Büro für arbeits- und sozialpolitische Studien): Swiss research and consulting firm specializing in labor market, social policy, and education evaluation studies. Comparable as a small Swiss consulting practice doing evaluation, meta-evaluation, and policy-relevant research for federal and cantonal clients — overlapping with bfb's Q2E evaluation work.
• SIBP (Swiss Institute for Vocational Pedagogy): Swiss institute focused on vocational pedagogy, teacher training, and continuing education for VET professionals. Comparable in serving the same Swiss VET regulatory ecosystem with consulting, evaluation, and qualification development work for schools and OdAs.
• BIBB (Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung): Germany's federal institute for vocational education and training, providing research, policy advice, and consulting on competency standards, examination structures, and Bildungsreglemente. Directly comparable in function and methodology to bfb's German-market service offerings.
• ZWH (Zentralstelle für die Weiterbildung im Handwerk): Central office for continuing education in the skilled trades in Germany, working with Handwerks OdAs on qualification development, examination administration, and Bildungsreglement-equivalent work. Comparable as a regional peer serving the same trade-association examination ecosystem in Germany.
• Stiftung Berufsbildung Schweiz (Foundation for Vocational Education Switzerland): Swiss foundation promoting vocational education and training through projects, events, and analysis across the OdA ecosystem. Comparable as a Swiss VET sector intermediary that influences Bildungsreglement and competency-model work that bfb executes.
• EHB IFFP IUPS (Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training): Switzerland's federal institution for VET research, teaching and consulting. Directly comparable as it works with OdAs, SBFI, and cantonal education authorities on competency frameworks, examination structures, and vocational education policy — the same ecosystem bfb serves.

Emerging players

• hkp/// group (Human Capital Partners): European HR and HR analytics consultancy with competency modeling and compensation/governance practices. Comparable as a mid-sized consulting peer in the corporate competency-model and HR transformation space, though with a different primary focus on compensation governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bfb-b%C3%BCro-f%C3%BCr-bildungsfragen-ag

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Büro für Bildungsfragen AG