What Jugendhilfe Köln e.V. does

Jugendhilfe Köln e.V. is a non-profit registered association (gemeinnütziger eingetragener Verein) founded in April 1976 in Cologne, Germany, to combat youth unemployment. It operates as a recognized independent youth welfare provider (anerkannter freier Träger der Jugendhilfe) with AZAV certification, delivering vocational orientation, career counseling, employment preparation, social integration support, and family services across 13 distinct programs. Core offerings include three Jugendwerkstätten (vocational training workshops) in Ehrenfeld, Kalk, and Neubrück; Arbeitsgelegenheiten (AGH) work-opportunity programs for long-term unemployed Bürgergeld recipients; the BvB-Pro/Werkstattjahr.NRW vocational preparation track; Kompetenzagentur guidance services; and the KEN parent support network. The organization also operates the Freiluga outdoor education facility, the Pattenhalle event venue, and a mobile youth traffic school. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries — KölnKitas gGmbH (founded 1994) and Jugendzentren Köln gGmbH (founded 1998) — extend service delivery into daycare centers and youth centers.

The organization's revenue model is entirely publicly funded, with no commercial revenue generation. Programs are financed through SGB II (Jobcenter Köln), SGB III (Federal Employment Agency), SGB VIII (Youth Welfare), ESF/ESF Plus (European Social Fund), NRW state funding (Landesmittel), and municipal funding from the City of Cologne. All services are provided free of charge to participants, who access programs via public referral systems (primarily Jobcenter Köln) and direct outreach through schools and social services. Customer segments are publicly under-served populations: NEET youth aged 16–27, long-term unemployed adults aged 18–67, and families with children in Cologne. Distribution is direct service provision at the organization's facilities; marketing is institutional rather than commercial, relying on the City of Cologne's guterstart.koeln portal, social media, and partner referrals. Governance is led by Managing Director Almut Gross, with Robert Voigtsberger as Chairman and Dr. Ralf Heinen and Lisa-Marie Friede as board members.

Name

Jugendhilfe Köln e.V.

Legal name

Jugendhilfe Köln e.V.

Website

https://jugendhilfe-koeln.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jugendhilfe Köln e.V. is a Cologne-based non-profit founded in 1976 that delivers vocational training, employment support, and social integration services to NEET youth, long-term unemployed adults, and families through 13 publicly funded programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Services and Vocational Training

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH)

Keywords

• Youth vocational training
• Employment integration services
• Social welfare programs
• Family counseling services
• Career counseling support

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Government Grants: Jugendhilfe Köln e.V. operates as a non-profit organization (gemeinnütziger Verein) funded primarily through public sources. All programs run on behalf of the public sector and are financed through various funding programs including SGB II (Jobcenter Köln), SGB III (Federal Employment Agency), SGB VIII (Youth Welfare), EU funds (ESF/ESF Plus), state funding from NRW (Landesmittel), and municipal funding from the City of Cologne. No commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jugendhilfe Köln e.V. is a non-profit social services organization that delivers vocational orientation, career counseling, practical workshop-based training, employment preparation, social integration, and family support services. It operates 13 programs including three Jugendwerkstätten in Cologne districts, Arbeitsgelegenheiten (AGH) for long-term unemployed, Werkstattjahr.NRW/BvB-Pro vocational preparation, Kompetenzagentur guidance, Kölner Jugendlotsen navigation, ATI refugee integration, and the Elternchancen/KEN parent support network. All services are publicly funded and provided free to participants.

Product overview

Jugendhilfe Köln e.V. is a non-profit organization (gemeinnütziger Verein) and recognized free provider of youth welfare services (freier Träger der Jugendhilfe) founded in 1976. The organization operates a comprehensive portfolio of 13 distinct programs focused on vocational training, employment support, and social integration for youth and adults in Cologne. The core offerings include three Jugendwerkstätten (vocational workshops) in Ehrenfeld, Kalk, and Neubrück districts; employment opportunities (Arbeitsgelegenheiten/AGH) for long-term unemployed; vocational preparation programs (BvB-Pro/Werkstattjahr.NRW); career guidance services (Kompetenzagentur, Campus: Arbeit); and family support programs (Elternchancen/KEN). The organization also operates facilities including the Freiluga outdoor school and Pattenhalle event venue. All programs run on behalf of public funding bodies and are governed by SGB II, SGB III, and SGB VIII legislation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arbeitsgelegenheiten (AGH)

Quantifiable outcome

• 82.5% of participants in Kompetenzagentur Rodenkirchen completed programs with sustainable transitions to education or employment (2025)
• +2 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor, core and major.

• Bethe-StiftungflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Bethe-Stiftung is supporting the Café Zusammenspiel project with a donation matching program where every contribution is doubled. This partnership is funding a community meeting place aimed at combating loneliness among people of all ages in Cologne.
• Colorrevolution e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Artistic collaboration with artist Milosz Zmiejewski for graffiti and facade art projects at Jugendwerkstatt Ehrenfeld, providing creative youth development activities.
• Ford (Corporate Volunteers)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Ford employees participate in annual social day activities at Freiluga outdoor education facility, contributing labor for garden and grounds maintenance projects. Partnership has continued for many years.
• Rheingymnasium KölnminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Educational institution where AGH participants are deployed for maintenance and support work as part of their employment opportunities.
• KölnKitas gGmbHcoreOthersWholly-owned subsidiary of Jugendhilfe Köln e.V., founded in 1994. Operates kindergarten and childcare facilities. Cooperates in joint projects such as the KEN (Kölner Elternbegleitung) parent support network and provides employment opportunities for AGH participants.
• Jugendzentren Köln gGmbHcoreOthersWholly-owned subsidiary of Jugendhilfe Köln e.V., founded in 1998. Operates youth centers in Cologne. Cooperates in joint projects including KEN (Kölner Elternbegleitung) parent support network, AGH work opportunities, and hosts AGH U25 event management program participants.
• Jobcenter KölncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary public funding body and referral partner for employment programs. Coordinates access to programs for Bürgergeld recipients (SGB II beneficiaries). Provides funding for AGH (Arbeitsgelegenheiten) and other employment integration programs.
• Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency providing funding and programmatic oversight for vocational training programs including BvB-Pro (Berufsvorbereitende Bildungsmaßnahme). Co-finances various youth employment initiatives.
• Stadt Köln (City of Cologne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government providing core funding and support. Oversees youth welfare services and provides facilities. Services are listed on official city portals including guterstart.koeln.
• KölnKitas gGmbH and Jugendzentren Köln gGmbH (Project Partners)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organizations in the KEN (Kölner Elternbegleitung) project. Collaborate on organizing offers, promoting exchange, and creating access to education for families in Cologne.
• BAG ÖRT (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft örtlich regionaler Träger der Jugendsozialarbeit)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of youth social work providers. Jugendhilfe Köln e.V. has been a founding member since 1995. The organization hosted the working group meeting of the network in 2026.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Franziskus GmbH: Cologne-based social services provider operating in the fields of youth welfare, housing assistance, and employment support. Regional peer with overlapping service lines to JHK's Arbeitsgelegenheiten and family support programs.
• AWO Bezirksverband Mittelrhein: Workers' welfare association covering the Cologne/Bonn region, offering Jugendwerkstätten, family support, and migration services. Competes for the same Jobcenter Köln and municipal funding streams as JHK.
• Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband NRW: Umbrella welfare association in NRW representing over 3,000 non-profit member organizations including youth welfare and integration providers. JHK is a member and competes indirectly through its member organizations for the same public contracts.
• Diakonie Köln und Region: Protestant welfare organization in Cologne delivering youth welfare, family counseling, employment, and refugee services. A direct regional competitor for publicly funded contracts in the same catchment area.
• DRK Kreisverband Köln: German Red Cross chapter in Cologne providing youth welfare, family support, and refugee/migration services. Another major regionally active freier Träger competing for SGB VIII and municipal contracts.
• Caritasverband Köln: Major Catholic welfare organization in Cologne operating youth, family, and refugee integration services. Offers overlapping programs (Migrationsberatung, Jugendmigrationsdienst, Erziehungsberatung) in the same geographic market as JHK.
• IN VIA Köln: Catholic social services organization focused on youth migration, vocational orientation, and girls'/women's employment programs in Cologne. Highly comparable mission and participant base to JHK's Kompetenzagentur and ATI programs.
• Kolpingwerk Köln: Catholic social organization in Cologne with vocational training, youth, and adult education programs. Overlaps with JHK's berufliche Orientierung and adult employment programs.

Direct peers

• Internationaler Bund (IB): One of Germany's largest non-profit social services providers, operating vocational training, youth welfare, and employment integration programs nationwide. Highly comparable to JHK's Jugendwerkstätten, BvB-Pro, and Kompetenzagentur offerings, and serves as a benchmark for scaling similar programs.
• Gesellschaft zur Förderung beruflicher und sozialer Integration (gfi): Non-profit vocational training and social integration provider in Bavaria, with a mission nearly identical to JHK's ("berufliche und soziale Integration"). Runs Jugendwerkstätten, Berufsvorbereitung, and employment programs closely mirroring JHK's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Jugendhilfe_K
• Facebookfacebook.com/jugendhilfekoeln
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@jugendhilfekoeln
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jugendhilfe-k%C3%B6ln-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jugendhilfe Köln e.V.