Provinciaal Instituut voor Secundair Onderwijs

What Provinciaal Instituut voor Secundair Onderwijs does

Provinciaal Instituut voor Secundair Onderwijs (PISO) is a provincial public secondary school located at Alexianenweg 2 in Tienen, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, operating under the Flemish educational framework and supervised by the Provinciale Overheid Vlaams-Brabant. The school delivers tuition-free secondary education to students aged approximately 12–18 across four domains — SPORT, STEM, Maatschappij en Welzijn (Society and Welfare), and Horeca en Voeding (Hospitality and Food) — and offers three learning pathways: doorstroomfinaliteit (progression to higher education), dubbele finaliteit (dual), and finaliteit arbeidsmarkt (labor market orientation). PISO is the only SODA-certified school in the Tienen region and additionally issues a SODA+ attestation alongside standard diplomas. The school also operates an OKAN reception class for non-Dutch-speaking newcomers and a Duaal Leren (dual learning) program integrating classroom instruction with paid workplace experience at local partner companies.

The school's underlying technology is built around Smartschool, a third-party digital learning management system used for student-parent communication, assignment distribution, and course information access. Supporting integrations are limited to mainstream productivity and marketing tools — Google Analytics for web tracking, Google Drive for staff workflows, embedded Facebook / Instagram / Twitter social widgets, and Google Calendar / iCalendar / Outlook feeds for event distribution. PISO augments classroom instruction with customer-facing didactic facilities — TalentPiso Restaurant, Bistro TalentPiso, a Kapsalon (hair salon), and a Schoonheidssalon (beauty salon) — that serve as practical training venues for hospitality and personal-care students while generating nominal paid service revenue.

PISO's business model is government-funded: as a provincial public school, it derives essentially all operating revenue from Flemish Community and Provinciale Overheid Vlaams-Brabant subsidies calibrated to student enrollment, with no tuition charged. Secondary revenue is incidental, sourced from paid customer services at the didactic restaurants and salons and from community events such as the annual PISO City Run. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer — recruiting prospective students and parents through the school's website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), email newsletters, open evenings (openschoolavond), information afternoons, and individual 1-on-1 appointments, with enrollment handled via the website and Smartschool platform. The customer base is fundamentally local and household-level within the Tienen catchment area, with no private-sector B2B revenue dependency.

Name

Provinciaal Instituut voor Secundair Onderwijs

Legal name

Provinciaal Instituut voor Secundair Onderwijs

Website

https://piso.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAGAB

English Learner (EL/ESL/ELL) & Bilingual Education Programs

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Special Programs (Gifted, ESL/ELL, Remedial, RTI/MTSS)

SECONDARYEDAKADAF

English Language Learner (ELL/ESL) Academic Intervention

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Specialized Tutoring & Academic Intervention (Remediation)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Vocational training
• STEM education
• Dual learning
• Hospitality education

Headquarters

HQ city

Tienen

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government-funded education: As a provincial public secondary school, PISO is funded by the Flemish Community/Provincial government. Education is free for students. Revenue comes from government subsidies based on student enrollment numbers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PISO is a provincial public secondary school in Tienen, Belgium, providing scientific, technical, and labor-market-oriented secondary education across four domains: SPORT, STEM, Maatschappij & Welzijn (Society and Welfare), and Horeca & Voeding (Hospitality and Food). The school offers progression pathways (doorstroomfinaliteit, dubbele finaliteit, finaliteit arbeidsmarkt), a unique SODA+ attestation, dual learning programs, and an OKAN reception class for non-Dutch speakers, supplemented by practical training in didactic restaurants, a hair salon, and a beauty salon.

Product overview

PISO (Provinciaal Instituut voor Secundair Onderwijs) is a provincial secondary school in Tienen, Belgium, offering scientific, technical, and labor market-oriented education. The school's core offering centers on a comprehensive educational program organized across four main domains: SPORT, STEM, Maatschappij & Welzijn (Society & Wellbeing), and Horeca & Voeding (Hospitality & Food). Students can pursue different learning pathways: doorstroomfinaliteit (progression path), dubbele finaliteit (dual path), or finaliteit arbeidsmarkt (labor market path). PISO operates as a SODA school, uniquely providing a SODA+ attestation alongside regular diplomas. The school complements classroom instruction with practical training through customer-facing services including TalentPiso Restaurant, Bistro TalentPiso, a hair salon (Kapsalon), and beauty salon (Schoonheidssalon). A dedicated OKAN program welcomes non-Dutch speaking newcomers. The Smartschool digital platform serves as the central hub for student-parent communication and course management. Dual learning (Duaal Leren) opportunities integrate theoretical education with practical workplace experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Smartschool: Smart learning platform used for digital education and student management
• SODA+
• TalentPiso Restaurant
• Bistro TalentPiso
• PISO City Run
• OKAN

Products and services

• Secondary Education Program (Secondary education) Government-funded free secondary education for students aged 12-18 across four domains (SPORT, STEM, Maatschappij & Welzijn, Horeca & Voeding) with three finaliteit pathways leading to diploma or study certificate.
• Duaal Leren (Dual Learning) Work-study learning program that combines classroom theory with on-the-job training at partner companies, allowing students to earn wages while gaining practical labor-market experience.
• SODA+ Attestation Program Certification program unique to PISO that awards an additional SODA+ attestation alongside the regular diploma, recognizing positive behavioral development and talent formation.
• OKAN (Onthaalklas voor Anderstalige Nieuwkomers) Reception class providing intensive Dutch language instruction and integration support for non-Dutch-speaking newly arrived students before they enter the regular secondary education track.
• Didactisch Restaurant TalentPiso School-run didactic restaurant where hospitality students gain practical training experience by preparing and serving meals to customers.
• Didactisch Restaurant Bistro TalentPiso Bistro-style educational restaurant operated by students, providing hands-on practical training in hospitality services.
• Kapsalon (Educational Hair Salon) Educational hair salon where hair care students gain practical training by providing hair services to customers.
• Schoonheidssalon (Educational Beauty Salon) Educational beauty salon where beauty care students gain practical training by providing beauty services to customers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GO! Atheneum Tienen, nuo onderwijs, VIAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025The Tiense secondary schools collaborate annually on the 'Wat na het secundair?' (What after secondary?) info fair, held at Manege Tienen. This joint initiative brings together representatives from secondary schools, higher education institutions, universities, government services, and local businesses to inform students about post-secondary options.
• Stad Tienen (City of Tienen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the city of Tienen for organizing the annual PISO City Run event, a community sporting event held in the city center. The city's support enables road closures and logistical coordination for this major school event.
• Heilig Hart Hospital (Tienen)minorOthersThe PISO City Run route passes through the hospital site, providing a unique running experience for participants. This is part of the school's community engagement through sporting events.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GO! Atheneum Tienen: GO! Atheneum Tienen is a public secondary school in the same city as PISO, operating under the GO! public education network. It competes directly with PISO for students in the Tienen area and is explicitly referenced as a collaborating partner on the 'Wat na het secundair?' info fair, making it the closest direct comparable.

Regional players

• Other Flemish provincial secondary schools: Provincial secondary schools in other Flemish provinces (e.g., Antwerp, Limburg, East Flanders, West Flanders) share PISO's governance model under provincial authorities and similar funding structure. They are comparable in mission, vocational orientation, and tie to provincial education budgets, though they serve different geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Flemish Catholic secondary schools: Catholic secondary schools in Flanders (e.g., Sint-Franciscuscollege, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwecollege, and other KOOV-network institutions) compete with PISO for students across the Tienen area and broader Flemish region, offering similar academic and vocational tracks under a different governance model.
• GO! secondary schools network (Flanders): The GO! onderwijs network operates public secondary schools across Flanders, offering a broad portfolio of academic and vocational programs. PISO competes with GO! schools within the Tienen catchment and in neighboring municipalities, particularly for students seeking STEM, technical, or vocational pathways.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hashtag/pisostyle
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/tags/pisostyle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/provinciaal-instituut-voor-secundair-onderwijs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Provinciaal Instituut voor Secundair Onderwijs