Prakticon

What Prakticon does

Prakticon is a publicly funded secondary school for practical education (praktijkonderwijs) located at Spoorstraat 11b, Doetinchem, Netherlands, serving students aged 12–18 who meet the Dutch national admission criteria for practical education. The school operates as one of 17 secondary schools under the Stichting Achterhoek VO foundation and employs 52 staff members. Its core offering is built around the Big Picture Learning educational methodology, which features 11 defining characteristics including personal learning plans, mentor groups, real-world learning through internships, parent and family involvement, authentic assessment, and professional development. Students follow a curriculum covering Dutch, mathematics, English, citizenship (burgerschap), living (wonen), physical education, leisure time (VTB), and project-based work, with each student selecting a personalized learning route aligned to their interests and abilities.

The school delivers instruction across four life domains — living, working, leisure, and citizenship — and operates a dedicated zorgteam (care team) comprising a support coordinator, school social worker, and educational psychologist, supplemented by external specialists for speech therapy, social skills training, resilience training, and fear-of-failure reduction. Students begin internships (stage) with regional employers around age 15, supported by a stage coordinator and partnerships with Stichting Maatwerk for job coaching and with local municipalities on wage subsidies. The technology stack supporting operations includes Magister and SOM for student information, Presentis for attendance tracking, Visma for enterprise software, and Microsoft 365 for productivity.

The school's business model is public funding under the Dutch education system, channeled through DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs), with student enrollment and attendance reported to government authorities. Revenue is not commercially derived from tuition, as Dutch secondary education is publicly funded; only minor ancillary revenue exists (e.g., optional school restaurant lunch at €15 per person). Distribution occurs through the What's Next Achterhoek regional enrollment platform, with open days and digital presence (website, Facebook) serving as top-of-funnel acquisition channels. The institution holds GDPR/AVG compliance certification, a camera surveillance protocol, and is governed by an independent supervisory board. There are no funding rounds, venture capital arrangements, or M&A activity associated with Prakticon.

Name

Prakticon

Legal name

Prakticon

Website

https://prakticon.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Prakticon is a publicly funded Dutch secondary school in Doetinchem, Netherlands, serving 52 staff and students aged 12–18 who require practical education, delivered via the Big Picture Learning methodology under the Stichting Achterhoek VO foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Practical Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (61171)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF)

Keywords

• Practical secondary education
• Big Picture Learning
• Special needs schooling
• Vocational internship program
• Inclusive education

Headquarters

HQ city

Doetinchem

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prakticon is a secondary practical education school (praktijkonderwijs) in Doetinchem, Netherlands, serving students aged 12-18 who need extra support beyond traditional theoretical education. The school delivers the Big Picture Learning methodology through personalized learning plans, fixed mentor assignment, internships with local companies, and a four-domain curriculum covering living, working, leisure, and citizenship. It is publicly funded under the Dutch education system and operated as part of the Stichting Achterhoek VO foundation.

Product overview

Prakticon is a single school for practical secondary education (praktijkonderwijs) in Doetinchem, Netherlands. It operates as one institution under the Stichting Achterhoek VO educational foundation. The school follows the Big Picture Learning educational philosophy with 11 defining characteristics including personalized learning plans, mentor groups, and real-world learning through internships. The institution offers educational programs focused on four domains: living (wonen), working (werken), leisure time (vrije tijd), and citizenship (burgerschap). Student support services include a dedicated care team, various therapy and training programs, and internship placement assistance. The school uses several administrative software systems (Magister, SOM, Presentis, Visma, Microsoft 365) for internal operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Picture Learning: Educational methodology based on Big Picture Learning philosophy, which emphasizes personalized learning plans, mentorship, real-world learning experiences, and student-centered education.

Products and services

• Prakticon Practical Secondary Education (praktijkonderwijs) School-based secondary practical education program serving students aged 12-18 in Doetinchem who need extra support beyond theoretical instruction; delivers the Big Picture Learning methodology across four domains — living (wonen), working (werken), leisure (vrije tijd), and citizenship (burgerschap) — with personalized learning plans, fixed mentor assignment, and real-world internships.
• Internship Program (Stage) Structured internship program where students are placed with local and regional businesses from around age 15 to discover interests and develop employment skills including punctuality, work attitude, persistence, and teamwork; coordinated with municipalities on wage subsidies and job coaching support.
• Student Support Services (Ondersteuning) Range of student support services including social skills training, resilience training, speech therapy, academic assistance, job skills training, fear-of-failure reduction training, creative guidance, healthy living programs, and ambulatory support.
• Care Team (Zorgteam) Student care team consisting of a support coordinator, school social worker, and educational psychologist; creates individualized action plans for students requiring additional support and can involve external specialists as needed.
• School Restaurant Lunch Days (Praktisch lekker op Prakticon) Optional paid school lunch program where students prepare and serve lunch on four restaurant days during the school year at €15 per person; offered as a practical learning experience tied to the curriculum.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Achterhoek VOcoreOthersPrakticon is part of Stichting Achterhoek VO, a foundation governing 17 secondary schools in the Achterhoek region. The foundation provides administrative oversight, HR support, and shared policies including privacy, complaints procedures, and camera surveillance regulations.
• Samenwerkingsverband 25-03 (Passend Onderwijs Doetinchem e.o.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partnership with other secondary schools in the region working together on 'passend onderwijs' (inclusive education). Prakticon delivers personalized Big Picture education as part of this partnership's inclusive education mission.
• Internship Companies (Stagebedrijven)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal and regional businesses provide internship opportunities for students. The school collaborates with municipalities on subsidies including wage cost subsidies, no-risk arrangements, and job coaching to incentivize employers to take on students.
• ArrivaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic transport provider offering discounted bus and train subscriptions for Prakticon students. 20% discount on annual subscriptions and 5% on quarterly subscriptions through a partnership with Achterhoek VO schools.
• Stichting MaatwerkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJob coaching organization supporting the school with workplace guidance for people distant from the labor market. Provides guidance and support at the workplace for employees, colleagues, and employers, aiming for sustainable employment placement.
• DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs)coreOthersGovernment organization for education administration. Prakticon shares student enrollment and attendance data with DUO for official registration purposes and to report unauthorized absence.
• Local Municipalities (Gemeentes)minorOthersLocal governments in the Achterhoek region collaborate on internship arrangements, offering financial incentives such as wage subsidies and job coaching support to businesses taking on Prakticon students.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Stichting Carmelcollege: One of the largest Dutch secondary education foundations operating multiple schools across the Netherlands under a shared governance model. Comparable to Stichting Achterhoek VO in operating multi-school VO portfolios with shared policy and HR infrastructure, though at much larger scale and serving mainstream rather than praktijkonderwijs populations.

Regional players

• VariO Onderwijs: Secondary education provider within Stichting Achterhoek VO offering innovative learning pathways in the Achterhoek region. Comparable as a regional peer sharing foundation governance with Prakticon while pursuing differentiated pedagogical approaches for student cohorts that overlap in target market.
• Marianum: Secondary school located in Groenlo within Stichting Achterhoek VO, the same foundation that governs Prakticon. Comparable as a regional VO peer sharing foundation-level infrastructure, policies, and HR support despite serving different student populations.
• Schaersvoorde: Secondary school in the Achterhoek region also operating under the Stichting Achterhoek VO foundation alongside Prakticon. While serving a different student segment (mainstream secondary vs. praktijkonderwijs), it shares governance, back-office, and regional catchment, making it directly comparable as a sister institution.

Direct peers

• Big Picture Learning: The originating organization of the Big Picture Learning methodology that Prakticon implements with its 11 defining characteristics. Operates an international network of schools using the same personalized, mentor-based, real-world-learning approach, making it directly comparable as the methodology's source and largest practitioner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Prakticon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prakticon

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Prakticon