Epasc Ciney

What Epasc Ciney does

EPASC (Ecole Provinciale d'Agronomie et des Sciences de Ciney) is a public provincial secondary school operated by the Province of Namur in Ciney, Belgium, founded in 1921 and celebrating its centenary in 2021. It delivers agricultural, horticultural, agro-equipment, environmental and food-industry secondary education from the first degree through 7th-year specialisation, with both transition tracks (preparing for higher education) and qualification/professional tracks (preparing for direct workforce entry). Teaching is supported by an unusually extensive set of on-site practical facilities: a 137.71-hectare teaching farm (dairy herd of 55 Holstein cows, beef herd of ~30 suckler cows, sheep flock of ~25 ewes, BIO poultry, plus 67.76 ha permanent grassland and 42.88 ha crops), a horticultural centre (256 m² hot greenhouse, 550 m² tunnels, 2,400 m² vegetable garden, orchard, nursery), agricultural mechanics workshops (welding, motors, machinery, automation labs), science/chemistry laboratories, and 120+ networked PCs across 10+ cyber-classrooms operational since 2012. The school also houses a unique Cheese Dairy Pole (Pôle Fromager / Assistance Technique Lait / Technolait) that delivers cheese-making assistance, training and workshop rental to Walloon dairy producer-processors across Namur, Liège and Luxembourg under the DiversiFerm framework, organised since 2014 as the only dedicated Belgian Cheese and Dairy Trade Fair.

EPASC operates as a non-profit public educational institution under the Walloon public education system. It does not generate commercial revenue; funding flows from the Province de Namur (as Pouvoir Organisateur), co-funding from the Walloon Region (notably for the Pôle Fromager and DiversiFerm), and regulated tuition/boarding fees (boarding: €2,848.68/year for 2024-2025, payable monthly, with a €569.74 deposit plus €50 room caution and €50 activities caution). Distribution combines direct on-campus delivery, 4 partner boarding schools (Ciney, Herbuchenne, Dinant) for the 233 total boarding places, and the CEFA alternance programme (opened September 2017) embedding 3 days/week of enterprise apprenticeship contracts. Customer segments are primarily secondary-school students drawn from the general public (general persona), with a secondary B2B segment of Walloon dairy producers served by the Pôle Fromager, and an outreach persona of primary-school children via the annual Course aux Sciences (446 students, 10 schools, 3 networks in the 19th edition). The institution is certified DurAgrIso 14001, labelled Agenda21 and 'Manger-Bouger', and is a member of an extensive partner ecosystem (Association Royale des Anciens with 3,000+ alumni, Association des Parents, OPA, FWA, FJA, Centre PMS, Erasmus+ international partners).

Name

Epasc Ciney

Legal name

Ecole Provinciale d'Agronomie et des Sciences de Ciney (EPASC)

Website

https://epasc-ciney.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPASC Ciney is a public provincial secondary school in Ciney, Belgium, operated by the Province of Namur, offering agricultural, horticultural, agro-equipment and food-industry education on a 137-hectare teaching campus with a unique cheese-dairy technology centre serving Walloon dairy producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Agricultural and Horticultural Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Apprenticeship Training (611513), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Crop, Soil & Agronomy Technician Training (EDAOAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

EPA 608 & Refrigerant Handling Compliance Training (EDAOACAN), Real Estate, Appraisal & Mortgage (Agent/Broker CE, Appraiser CE) (EDAAALAI)

Keywords

• Agricultural secondary education
• Horticultural vocational training
• Dairy technology assistance
• Agro-equipment training
• Alternating apprenticeship education

Headquarters

HQ city

Ciney

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Education Funding: As a public provincial school (Ecole Provinciale d'Agronomie et des Sciences de Ciney) under the Province of Namur, EPASC is funded by public education subsidies. Revenue is not commercially generated; the institution operates as a non-profit public educational establishment.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EPASC is a public provincial secondary school that delivers full-time and alternating secondary education in agronomy, horticulture, agro-equipment, environmental sciences, and food industries, from first degree through 7th-year specialisation. Teaching is delivered through on-campus facilities including a 137.71-hectare teaching farm, a cheese dairy technology pole (Pôle Fromager / DiversiFerm), horticultural greenhouses, mechanics workshops, and science laboratories, complemented by on-site boarding for 233 students and enterprise-based CEFA apprenticeship placements.

Product overview

EPASC Ciney is a provincial agricultural and science school offering a comprehensive secondary education portfolio. The school provides multiple program tracks: transition tracks (preparing for higher education), qualification technical programs (agriculture, horticulture, agro-equipment, environment, food industries), professional qualification options, and alternating training (CEFA). Practical teaching is delivered through specialized poles: a dairy technology center (Pôle Fromager/DiversiFerm), an educational farm (137+ hectares with dairy/beef herds and crop demonstration), a horticultural center (greenhouses, tunnels, orchards), and mechanical workshops. Additional facilities include science laboratories, computer labs (cyber-classes), and boarding accommodations. The school also offers international mobility programs via ERASMUS+ and specialized training including tractor licensing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pôle Fromager (Technolait): Technological assistance center for dairy producers offering cheese-making training, facility rental, and technical support for Walloon dairy farmers
• Assistance Technique Lait (ATL)
• CEFA
• DiversiFerm

Products and services

• Techniques de Transition (Sciences Appliquées et Sciences Agronomiques)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 cheese-making productions assisted per year, 70 trainings, support for ~50 new producers annually (ATL/DiversiFerm)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Lycée des Sicaudières, Bressuires (France)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Through the Erasmus+ accreditation of the French school, EPASC students participated in a carbon neutrality exchange in April 2024, with 31 students and 5 teachers visiting composting centres, wastewater plants, cideries, and the EPASC cheese dairy.
• Province de Namur (Pouvoir organisateur)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Province of Namur is the organising authority (pouvoir organisateur) of EPASC. It provides institutional funding, governance, and support, including co-funding the new Cheese Dairy Pole alongside the Walloon Region.
• Région Wallonne (Walloon Region)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Walloon Region co-funds the Cheese Dairy Pole (Pôle fromager) infrastructure and the DiversiFerm programme of technological assistance to dairy producers. It also supports the BiodiBap biodiversity project.
• DiversiFerm (within CQPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiversiFerm is the Walloon-wide structure (formerly CQPF) that groups technology assistance operators (CARAH, AC-W, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech) for dairy producer-processors. EPASC's cheese dairy pole operates within this framework.
• OPA (Office Provincial Agricole)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe OPA is the provincial agricultural office that collaborates on farm management and technico-economic accounting of the teaching farm. Their website is opaciney.be.
• Fédération Wallonne de l'Agriculture (FWA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe FWA represents professional agricultural interests and collaborates with the school on farming sector initiatives and professional partner activities.
• Centre PMS (Psycho-Médico-Social)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Centre PMS is a free public service providing student psychological, medical and social support, orientation counselling, and dropout prevention. Located at rue Walter Sœur 66, 5590 Ciney, Tel. 081 77 68 26.
• Association des ParentsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1979, the Parents Association represents families of students, contributes to pedagogical projects, co-organises the Open Day, hosts information evenings, and funds school equipment.
• L'Association Royale des AnciensmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Alumni Association (first class 1923) has over 3,000 listed graduates and 700+ paying members. It funds equipment, organises the annual Saint Eloi dinner, Operation Carrières career day, awards the Prix Thèse, and publishes the quarterly 'SOC' review.
• Enseignons.beminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnseignons.be runs a tutoring antenna at EPASC offering academic remediation to students at under €10/hour, with experienced teachers and partnerships with Hautes Ecoles and Universities on differentiated pedagogy. Contact: [email protected] or 0498/822 374.
• VLTI TorhoutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual linguistic exchange partner: EPASC's 5th-year transition students studying Dutch spend time at VLTI in Torhout, with reciprocal visits to Ciney. Previously sponsored by the Fonds Prince Philippe.
• Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs (FJA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe FJA is a young farmers' federation that will collaborate with EPASC to extend the tractor driving licence (Permis G) training programme to external candidates beyond the school's own students.
• Ecole Provinciale Hôtelière (EPH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPASC collaborates with the provincial hotel school on the IGP Boulette and the Fromage Entre-Sambre et Meuse project, and contributes to the Collégial de Ciney collective brand with the GAL.
• asbl ECOWALminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECOWAL supervised the BiodiBap V3 project (biodiversity and public buildings), which created a pedagogical apiary surrounded by melliferous hedgerows, supported by the Walloon Region and an independent beekeeper.
• Salons (SIEP, Libramont, Laneffe, Valériane)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEPASC maintains a presence at regional education and agricultural fairs — SIEP (student information), the Libramont Agricultural Fair, Laneffe, and Valériane — to showcase programmes and recruit prospective students.
• PSE / IPGH (Promotion Santé à l Ecole / Institut Provincial d'Hygiène Sociale)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school relies on provincial health services PSE and IPGH for student health promotion, hygiene monitoring, and social support, complementing the Centre PMS.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• CRA-W (Centre wallon de Recherches agronomiques): Walloon regional agricultural research centre running applied trials and farmer support across multiple provinces. Comparable to EPASC's teaching farm because it sits upstream in the same agricultural R&D and demonstration ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Ecole d'Agriculture de la Province de Luxembourg: Provincial agricultural secondary school in Libramont (also visible via the Libramont Agricultural Fair where EPASC recruits). Comparable to EPASC as a Walloon provincial agricultural secondary school with applied training facilities.
• Athénée Royal de Perwez: Belgian secondary school in Walloon Brabant offering an agricultural/horticultural section. Comparable to EPASC as a competing secondary source of agricultural vocational education in the broader Walloon Region.
• Athénée Royal de Jodoigne: Secondary school in Walloon Brabant hosting agricultural and horticultural study tracks. Overlaps with EPASC's recruitment geography and programme mix, making it a regional direct peer for secondary agricultural education.
• CARAH - Centre pour l'Agro-industrie de la Province de Hainaut: Provincial agricultural school in Ath (Province de Hainaut) offering secondary and higher education in agriculture, with its own experimental farm and dairy technology services. It is one of the four operator-mirrors of EPASC's Pôle Fromager inside the DiversiFerm network, making it the closest direct peer in Wallonia.

Others

• DiversiFerm: Walloon framework grouping agricultural technology assistance operators. EPASC's Pôle Fromager is a member; comparable as an ecosystem coordinator rather than a competitor, defining the network in which EPASC's cheese-dairy services operate.
• SoCoPro - Société Coopérative de Production: Walloon cooperative representing farmer organisations and producer support. Comparable to EPASC because both engage in producer outreach, training pipelines, and agricultural diversification initiatives in the region.
• Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs (FJA): Walloon young farmers' federation, an EPASC partner planning to extend tractor licence (Permis G) training externally. Comparable to EPASC as a sectoral organisation addressing the same generational and training challenges in Walloon agriculture.

Emerging players

• Centre de Michamps (ULiège): Agricultural research and extension centre in the Province of Luxembourg focused on agro-ecology, livestock, and dairy diversification. Comparable to EPASC's Pôle Fromager because it serves Walloon dairy producers with applied technical assistance.

Broad incumbents

• Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège): University-level faculty of agronomy and biological engineering within Université de Liège, also a DiversiFerm partner. Comparable to EPASC in agricultural research and curriculum, but operating at higher-education level and broader across many sub-disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Ecole-Provinciale-dAgronomie-et-des-Sciences-de-Ciney-1409332225999329
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epasc-ciney

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Epasc Ciney