Co-valent

What Co-valent does

Co-valent is the official sectoral training fund (vormingsfonds) for Belgium's chemistry, plastics, and life sciences industries, operating under paritary committees CP 116 (chemistry and life sciences) and CP 207 (plastics). Its mandate is to support competence development for workers in the sector by providing free quality training, financially subsidizing employer-led training initiatives, and advising companies on sustainable career policy. The organization is governed jointly by the social partners — employer federation essenscia and trade unions ACV/CSC, SYNOVA, and ABVV Scheikunde — and is financed through mandatory sectoral employer contributions collected via ONSS categories 087 and 187. There is no parent company, no external venture funding, and no public ownership stake.

The core product is a free training catalog (Gratis Opleidingen) of more than 300 courses spanning 13 Dutch-language and 14 French-language themes, including technical skills, safety, IT/digital, soft skills, languages, and sector-specific topics. Training is enrolled through the 'Mijn Co-valent' web portal, which also supports Federal Learning Account (FLA) data submission and the mandatory annual Opleidingsplan under Belgium's Arbeidsdeal. Actual delivery is executed through four partner competence centers — aptaskil (Seneffe, Liège), ACTA (Brasschaat), PlastIQ (Ghent, Kortrijk, Genk), and ViTalent (Niel) — which provide realistic industrial training environments. Additional service modules include the Competentiecheck (competency assessment for SMEs), financial subsidies for out-of-catalog training, and Tewerkstellingscel (employment cell) support providing dismissed workers up to one year of free training access. In 2026, Co-valent added an AI-powered language coaching offering built on a generative AI chatbot integrated with a personal coach and e-learning program.

The operating model is essentially a regulated sectoral monopsony-buyer of training services: revenue is derived from pooled employer contributions rather than per-course pricing to end users, which is why all training is offered free of charge to qualifying workers. Go-to-market relies on direct engagement by sector consultants, employer-facing portal enrollment, partnerships with social partners and regional employment services (VDAB/Forem/Actiris), and a multi-channel content presence including a monthly newsletter, LinkedIn, sector events, webinars, and a podcast. In 2023, Co-valent reached 541 companies, approximately 16% of all companies in the sector, with a small staff of around 9 employees based at headquarters in Brussels (A. Reyerslaan 70, 1030 Schaerbeek/Brussels). Geographic scope is Belgium-only.

Name

Co-valent

Legal name

Co-valent

Website

https://co-valent.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Co-valent is the official Belgian sectoral training fund for the chemistry, plastics, and life sciences industries, providing free vocational training, financial subsidies, and career advisory services to workers and employers in paritary committees CP 116 and CP 207, financed by sectoral employer contributions and delivered through a web portal and four specialized competence centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sectoral Training Fund Contributions: Co-valent is financed through sectoral contributions from employers in ONSS categories 087 and 187. Companies in category 187 benefit from partial exemption from risk group contributions if they implement their own initiatives formalized in company CCTs.
2. Training Services: Provides free training for workers in paritary committees 116 and 207, financed through sectoral fund contributions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Co-valent operates as the sectoral training fund (vormingsfonds) for the Belgian chemistry, plastics, and life sciences sectors, providing free training courses, financial subsidies for employer-led training initiatives, and advisory services on sustainable career policy. The organization funds and coordinates over 300 training courses across 13-14 thematic areas, delivered both directly and through four specialized competence center partners (aptaskil, ACTA, PlastIQ, ViTalent), targeting workers and employers in paritary committees 116 and 207.

Product overview

Co-valent is the sectoral training fund (vormingsfonds) for the chemistry, plastics, and life sciences industry in Belgium. The company operates a unified training platform centered around a free training catalog (Gratis Opleidingen) with over 300 courses available to workers in paritary committees 116 and 207. The core product is delivered through the 'Mijn Co-valent' (My Co-valent) company portal, which enables training officers to manage employee enrollments. Training is delivered through four competency center partners (aptaskil, ACTA, PlastIQ, and ViTalent) and covers technical, language, IT, management, and soft skills topics. Additional service modules include the Competentiecheck (Competency Check) for SME skills assessment, the Federal Learning Account (FLA) Support for regulatory compliance, the Opleidingsplan (Training Plan) for mandatory annual training documentation, Financial Support for out-of-catalog training, and Employment Cell Support for collective dismissal situations. The portfolio also includes AI-powered language coaching with chatbot integration, representing a newer technology-enhanced offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mijn Co-valent (My Co-valent) Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 541 companies reached in 2023 (16% of sector companies)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• essensciacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain employer organization in the Belgian chemistry, plastics and life sciences sector. Partner in developing and promoting Co-valent's training fund.
• ACV/CSCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor trade union confederation representing workers in the sector. Co-developer of the sectoral training fund.
• SYNOVAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish trade union organization for chemistry and life sciences workers.
• ABVV ScheikundecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench-speaking trade union for chemistry sector workers.
• aptaskilcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompetence center with locations in Seneffe and Liège, dedicated to production trades (production, quality control laboratory, maintenance) in the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry.
• ACTAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompetence center in Brasschaat specializing in technical training for process industry including maintenance techniques, engineering, logistics, and production. Contact: +32 (0)3 620 23 00, [email protected]
• PlastIQcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompetence center in Ghent, Kortrijk and Genk offering training and pathways dedicated to the plastics sector, both for strengthening skills of employed persons and for attracting new talent.
• ViTalentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCompetence center in Niel's science park, partner for pharmaceutical and biotechnological Flemish companies, offering training to active sector workers as well as students and job seekers wanting to enter this sector.
• SyntraminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIn the context of Dual Learning (Duaal Leren), personal data of company mentors is exchanged when recognizing a company as a learning enterprise.
• VDAB/Forem/ActiriscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional public employment services in Belgium, collaborating in employment cells (tewerkstellingscellen) to support dismissed workers during collective restructuring.
• Outplacement OfficesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOutplacement service providers collaborating with Co-valent in employment cells during collective dismissals to support worker transitions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• essenscia: Belgian federation for the chemistry, plastics and life sciences industries and a core strategic partner of Co-valent. While not a training fund, essenscia represents the same sector employers that fund Co-valent and shapes the policy environment in which the fund operates.

Direct peers

• Cevora: Belgian sectoral training fund for the joint committees of the intermediation and commerce sectors. Operates under the same vormingsfonds model with social partner governance and employer contributions, providing free training and competence services.
• Woodwize: Belgian sectoral training fund for the wood and furniture sector, operating under the same paritary committee and ONSS contribution structure as Co-valent to deliver free sector training and competence development.
• Constructiv: Belgian sectoral training fund for the construction industry, operating under the same vormingsfonds / paritary committee model as Co-valent and financed via mandatory sectoral employer contributions. Closely comparable in mandate, funding mechanism, and employer-facing service portfolio.
• Wijs: Belgian sectoral training fund serving manufacturing and metalworking sectors, financed through sectoral employer contributions and providing free training, financial subsidies, and competence policy advisory services - directly comparable in structure to Co-valent.
• Vleva: Belgian sectoral training fund for the logistics sector (CP 226), financed by ONSS sectoral contributions and offering free training, competence checks, and employment cell support. Same legal and operational template as Co-valent.
• Alimento: Belgian sectoral training fund for the food industry, using the same paritary committee funding model to provide free training, financial subsidies, and competence development services to employers and workers - a near-identical operating model to Co-valent in an adjacent sector.

Broad incumbents

• VDAB: Flemish public employment and vocational training service offering training, job placement, and competence development across all sectors. Broader in scope and publicly funded rather than sectoral, but a meaningful overlap with Co-valent's Flemish training and employment cell work.
• Actiris: Brussels-Capital Region public employment service offering training, job placement, and competence development. A regional incumbent with overlapping remits on workforce development and dismissed-worker support.
• Forem: Walloon public employment and vocational training service providing training, reskilling, and employment support across sectors. Comparable in mission to Co-valent's Wallonia-facing training and dismissed-worker services, but broader and publicly funded.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/co-valent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Co-valent