OLVIGent.be

What OLVIGent.be does

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-instituut Gent (OLVI) is a publicly funded Flemish secondary school located in Ghent, Belgium, specializing in vocational and technical education (BSO, arbeidsmarktfinaliteit). Founded in 1989 and operating under the governance of vzw Scholengroep Connected, the school serves students transitioning from primary education through seventh-year specializations, with a portfolio spanning more than ten BSO tracks across four broad verticals: hair and beauty care, hospitality and cuisine, healthcare and welfare, and business organization and logistics. New programs launched for the 2025-2026 academic year include a third-grade Basiszorg en ondersteuning track and four seventh-year specializations (Commercieel assistent, Grootkeukenkok, Kapper-stylist, Schoonheidsspecialist-adviseur).

The school's core technology is the Smartschool digital learning platform, and its distinguishing physical infrastructure includes Brut Nature, a teaching restaurant open to the public for weekday lunch service, alongside training salons and care labs that double as didactic facilities. Dual learning (duaal leren) is integrated across multiple third-degree programs and selected seventh-year specializations, embedding workplace placements (werkplekleren) with employer partners into curriculum delivery. Student counseling is provided through a partnership with VCLB Gent, whose counselors are on-site two mornings per week.

OLVI's business model is publicly funded secondary education under the Flemish community, supplemented by parental cost contributions (bijdrageregeling) for school materials and activities as published in annual cost estimate documents. Enrollment is community-led: first-year students register through the centralized meldjeaansecundair.gent.be portal shared across all Gent secondary schools, while students in years 2 through 7 enroll directly with the school. The school is led by Algemeen directeur Wim Danschutter (25 years of service), with a small management team and an advisory board chaired by Bart Serras within Scholengroep Connected.

Name

OLVIGent.be

Legal name

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-instituut Gent

Website

https://olvigent.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-instituut Gent (OLVI) is a publicly funded Flemish secondary school in Ghent offering vocational BSO programs spanning first through seventh year across hair/beauty, hospitality, healthcare/welfare, and business sectors, with dual learning and a public teaching restaurant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College & Career Transition Services (Bridge Programs, Dual Enrollment Pathways) (EDAAABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online/Hybrid ASE Programs & Virtual Classrooms (EDAAABAG), Adult Learner Support Services (Advising, Case Management, Wraparound Supports) (EDAAABAJ)

Keywords

• Vocational secondary education
• BSO programs
• Dual learning
• Hospitality training
• Care and welfare education

Headquarters

HQ city

Gent

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Publicly Funded Secondary Education: As a publicly funded secondary school under vzw Scholengroep Connected, OLVI operates with government funding. The school charges a cost contribution (bijdrageregeling) for school materials and activities, as outlined in annual cost estimates documents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OLVIGent.be (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-instituut Gent) is a Flemish secondary school that delivers BSO (arbeidsmarktfinaliteit) vocational education from first year through seventh year, covering hair and beauty care, restaurant and kitchen, care and welfare, organization and logistics, and reception/sales tracks. The school runs a practical teaching restaurant (Brut Nature) and offers dual learning programs that combine classroom instruction with workplace learning. It is governed by vzw Scholengroep Connected and is publicly funded with a school cost contribution charged to parents.

Product overview

OLVIGent.be (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-instituut Gent) is a secondary school offering vocational education across multiple streams. The institution provides a structured portfolio of educational programs including: Eerste graad B (first and second year secondary), Tweede graad BSO (hair and beauty care, organization and logistics, restaurant and kitchen, care and welfare), Derde graad BSO (assistance in living, care and welfare, basic care and support, hair care, beauty care, large kitchen and catering, reception, organization and sales), and 7th year specializations (commercial assistant, large kitchen cook, hair stylist, beauty specialist advisor). The school also operates Brut Nature, a didactic training restaurant for practical student experience. Dual learning programs are available across several study directions. The educational offerings are organized by grade level and labor market orientation, with programs designed to prepare students for employment and entrepreneurship in service industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brut Nature: A teaching restaurant operated by students of the Restaurant and Kitchen program. Named after the purest champagne with no added sugars, symbolizing honest, authentic culinary education.

Products and services

• Eerste graad B — 1ste jaar B First-year secondary education in the B-stream, focusing on Dutch language support, English and French language acquisition, technology exploration, and social skills development. Designed for students transitioning from primary education.
• Eerste graad B — 2de jaar B Second-year secondary education in the B-stream with base options combining Maatschappij & Welzijn with either Economie en organisatie or Voeding en Horeca.
• Haar- en schoonheidsverzorging (2de graad) Second-degree vocational program combining hair and beauty care, covering basic technical competencies, anatomical insights, and social communication skills.
• Organisatie en logistiek (2de graad) Second-degree vocational program offering insight into business operations, focused on reception, sales, and logistical activities with emphasis on digital competencies.
• Restaurant en keuken (2de graad) Second-degree vocational program teaching basic knowledge and skills in kitchen and restaurant operations, food preparation, hospitality, and multilingual communication.
• Zorg en welzijn (2de graad) Second-degree vocational program focused on human care in home context, emphasizing interpersonal relationships, social skills, and indirect care with technical aspects.
• Assistentie in wonen, zorg en welzijn (3de graad) Third-degree vocational program preparing students for support roles in care and welfare sectors, developing household and logistical competencies for positions as logistics assistant, domestic help, or room service staff.
• Basiszorg en ondersteuning (3de graad) Third-degree vocational program (new from September 2025) focusing on care and welfare professions, preparing students for a 7th year with qualifications in logistics assistant and domestic help in care.
• Haarverzorging (3de graad) Third-degree vocational program in hair styling and care, teaching styling techniques, customer consultation, and entrepreneurial skills with 19 hours weekly including internship.
• Schoonheidsverzorging (3de graad) Third-degree vocational program in beauty care, teaching aesthetic body treatments, customer consultation, technique selection, and balancing client needs with commercial aspects of a beauty salon.
• Grootkeuken en catering (3de graad) Third-degree vocational program in large-scale kitchen and catering operations, teaching meal preparation and distribution, nutrition knowledge, sustainable practices, and hospitality skills.
• Onthaal, organisatie en sales (3de graad) Third-degree vocational program in reception, organization and sales, providing insight into business operations with focus on reception, sales activities, and digital competencies for professional communication.
• 7de jaar Commercieel assistent Seventh-year specialization training students to support sales processes professionally, covering administrative tasks, customer communication, digital tools, marketing, and entrepreneurship.
• 7de jaar Grootkeukenkok Seventh-year specialization training students for large-scale kitchen and catering operations, teaching meal preparation, inventory management, equipment operation, and culinary skills for institutional and commercial settings.
• 7de jaar Kapper-stylist Seventh-year specialization for qualified hairdressers to develop salon management skills, learn latest trends, calculate costs, provide consultations, and develop entrepreneurship capabilities.
• 7de jaar Schoonheidsspecialist-adviseur Seventh-year specialization training beauty consultants to provide correct treatment advice, with theoretical background, product recommendations, commercial awareness, and entrepreneurship preparation.
• Brut Nature Didactic training restaurant operated by Restaurant and Kitchen students, providing practical experience in meal preparation, guest reception, food service, and table settings. Open to the public for lunch on weekdays during the school year.
• Duaal leren (Dual Learning) Dual learning program combining theoretical education with workplace learning, offered across multiple third-degree programs and selected seventh-year specializations, designed to strengthen the link between education and the labor market.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students earn a secondary diploma and industry-specific professional qualifications (beroepskwalificaties) through BSO programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• vzw Scholengroep ConnectedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOLVI is governed by vzw Scholengroep Connected, a school governance network in Gent. The board is chaired by Bart Serras, located at Biezekapelstraat 2, 9000 Gent. The school follows the Connected group's policies including privacy policy and whistleblower regulation.
• Centrum voor LeerlingenBegeleiding (CLB) — VCLB GentcoreOthersTwo CLB counselors (Mevr. Moors and Mevr. Beeckman) are present at the school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They provide student guidance on academic, social-emotional, and career matters. Contact is available by phone (09 277 83 00), email, and via the CLB-chat platform (clbchat.be).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• VDAB (Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Beroepsopleiding): Flemish public employment and vocational training service. Comparable as a broader Flemish labor-market-oriented training provider, particularly relevant given OLVI's dual learning employer-placement model.
• Syntra Vlaanderen: Flemish network of vocational training centers providing adult and dual learning programs across multiple sectors. Comparable as a Flemish vocational education provider, particularly for dual learning pathways, though focused on adult learners rather than secondary students.
• Koninklijk Atheneum Gent (KAGent): Larger publicly run secondary school network in Gent offering multiple tracks across the city. Comparable as a Gent secondary education provider competing for the same applicant pool, though broader in offering.

Direct peers

• Sint-Norbertusinstituut Gent: Catholic secondary school in Gent with BSO and other tracks. Comparable as a Gent-based Catholic secondary institution competing for similar students and offering vocational education.
• Vrij Technisch Instituut Gent (VTI Gent): Technical and vocational secondary school in Gent offering technical and BSO tracks. Directly comparable as a Gent-based secondary institution focused on technical/vocational labor-market preparation.
• Sint-Niklaasinstituut Gent: Catholic secondary school in Gent offering a mix of BSO, TSO and other tracks. Comparable as a Gent-based secondary institution with overlapping BSO vocational programming.
• Sint-Carolus Gent (Instituut Sint-Carolus): Catholic secondary school in Gent with broad program offerings including vocational tracks. Comparable as a Gent secondary institution with overlapping BSO programming.
• Don Bosco Gent: Catholic vocational secondary school in Gent offering comparable BSO-style tracks with dual learning options. Directly comparable as a Gent-based vocational secondary institution serving similar student segments.

Others

• CLB Gent (VCLB Gent): Flemish student counseling center providing guidance to Gent secondary schools, including OLVI. Comparable as an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor — VCLB Gent counselors are physically present at OLVI on a weekly basis.

Regional players

• PIVA Antwerpen (Provinciaal Instituut voor Voeding en Handel): Provincial secondary school in Antwerp focused on food/hospitality and commerce, including a teaching restaurant for student training. Comparable in BSO specializations and didactic restaurant model, though based in a different Flemish region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/olvigent
• Facebookfacebook.com/olvigent
• Instagraminstagram.com/olvi.gent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olvigent.be

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 OLVIGent.be