What Volkshochschule does

Volkshochschule Gerlingen e.V. is a community-based, non-profit adult education center registered as an eingetragener Verein (e.V.) in Germany, serving the municipality of Gerlingen in Baden-Württemberg and surrounding areas including Korntal-Münchingen and Leonberg. The institution delivers a broad curriculum across seven principal course categories: Languages (Sprachen), Health (Gesundheit), Career/IT/Media (Beruf · IT · Medien), Culture/Creative (Kultur · Gestalten), Family/Youth (Familie · Junge vhs), Online Courses (Onlinekurse), and Excursions (Exkursionen), with additional special programming through the Forum Wissen lecture series and semester-themed initiatives. Courses are delivered both in-person across six local venues (the main vhs building on Schulstraße, Robert-Bosch-Gymnasium, Realschule, Markusgemeindehaus, Seniorenwohnanlage, and the city library) and online via Zoom and vhs.cloud video conferencing platforms.

The technology stack is built on the KuferWEB course management platform from Kufer Software GmbH, which provides online course registration, user account management, SEPA payment processing, and shopping cart functionality. The institution holds certified quality status from the Landesverband der Volkshochschulen Baden-Württemberg and is authorized to deliver BAMF-funded integration courses. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: individual course fees (tiered by participant count, with example German B2.1 courses at €160-€207 and Spanish A2.2 at €107-€138), membership fees from association members, and government-funded courses through BAMF and labor office programs. Discounts of 25% are available for students, apprentices, recipients of unemployment or basic security benefits, and individuals with disabilities. The organization is led by Director Dr. Anna-Victoria Bognár (since 2025) and Chairman Georg Brenner.

Name

Volkshochschule

Legal name

Volkshochschule Gerlingen e.V.

Website

https://vhs-gerlingen.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Volkshochschule Gerlingen e.V. is a non-profit community adult education center in Gerlingen, Germany, offering courses in languages, health, career/IT, culture, and family programs to local residents and regional participants through in-person and online formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult and Continuing Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

Keywords

• Adult education courses
• Community continuing education
• Language learning programs
• Professional development training
• Cultural enrichment workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Gerlingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: The primary revenue stream comes from individual course fees charged to participants. Fees vary by course type, duration, and participant count. Pricing follows a tiered model where fees decrease as more participants enroll.
2. Membership Fees: The organization operates as a registered non-profit association (eV) and offers membership options for community members who wish to support the institution.
3. Government-Funded Courses: The vhs offers integration courses (Integrationskurse) funded through the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), as well as courses eligible for funding through labor office programs for job seekers receiving unemployment benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Volkshochschule Gerlingen e.V. is a non-profit community adult education center that delivers semester-based courses across languages, health and wellness, career/IT/media skills, cultural/creative arts, and family/youth programming. Courses are offered in person at multiple venues across Gerlingen and online via Zoom and vhs.cloud, with enrollment managed through the KuferWEB online registration platform. The institution also runs government-funded integration courses (Integrationskurse) under BAMF and labor-office-sponsored training.

Product overview

Volkshochschule Gerlingen is a community education center (Volkshochschule) offering a diverse portfolio of adult education courses and programs. The core offering consists of the KuferWEB-based course management system which enables online enrollment and registration. Course categories include Languages (Sprachen), Health (Gesundheit), Career/IT/Media (Beruf·IT·Medien), Culture/Creative (Kultur·Gestalten), Family/Youth (Familie·Junge vhs), Excursions (Exkursionen), and an online course delivery program (Onlinekurse). The institution also publishes an interactive digital Program Catalog (Programmheft) and offers special programs like Forum Wissen. Course formats include in-person instruction at multiple venues in Gerlingen, synchronous online courses via Zoom and vhs.cloud platforms, and excursions to regional sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Language Courses (Sprachen)

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Landesverband der Volkshochschulen Baden-Württemberg e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level association of adult education centers (Volkshochschulen) in Baden-Württemberg. The vhs Gerlingen operates under this umbrella organization which provides quality standards, shared resources, the onlinevhs-bw.de platform, and collective representation for vhs institutions across the state.
• Volkshochschule Korntal-MünchingenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring vhs institution with which vhs Gerlingen cooperates on events and course offerings. Joint programming includes children's digital courses such as the Digital Camp held at Korntal-Münchingen facilities.
• Volkshochschule LeonbergminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional vhs partner cooperating on joint programming. Courses for children such as the Elektrotechnikkurs (electrical engineering course) are offered through vhs Leonberg and listed on the vhs Gerlingen website.
• Kufer Software GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware provider for the vhs website, course management system (KuferWEB), and web hosting services. Based in Mühldorf am Inn, Germany. The vhs website and registration platform are powered by Kufer Software.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Babbel: Subscription-based consumer language-learning platform with a strong German user base. Represents a non-classroom, self-paced alternative to vhs Gerlingen's language courses and competes for the same adult-learner wallet share, particularly for A1-A2 levels.
• Duolingo: Freemium mobile language learning app with massive global reach. While not a community education institution, it competes at the entry level for adult learners in Gerlingen who might otherwise enroll in vhs introductory language courses.

Broad incumbents

• Berlitz Deutschland: Established private language school chain with German locations including Stuttgart. Overlaps with vhs Gerlingen's primary 'Sprachen' segment, but operates a premium, mostly in-person business model targeting corporate and executive learners.
• Deutsche Angestellten-Akademie (DAA): Large national adult education and labor-market qualification provider with a much broader geographic footprint. Competes with vhs Gerlingen especially for ALG-funded professional development and IT courses, and offers integration courses also funded by BAMF.
• ILS / Fernschule Hamburg: Germany's largest distance-learning provider, offering correspondence and online courses across languages, IT, and professional development. Competes with vhs Gerlingen in self-paced adult learning, particularly for learners seeking flexible scheduling beyond semester-based classroom courses.

Direct peers

• Volkshochschule Stuttgart: Operates the same Volkshochschule model (registered e.V., municipal adult education, language/health/culture/professional programming) and is also part of the Landesverband der Volkshochschulen Baden-Württemberg. It is the largest direct VHS peer in vhs Gerlingen's own state association.
• Volkshochschule Leonberg: Another nearby VHS in the same Landkreis Ludwigsburg that cooperates with vhs Gerlingen on joint programming (e.g., Elektrotechnikkurs for children). Runs the same community adult education model in an adjacent municipality.
• Volkshochschule Ludwigsburg: The larger VHS for the surrounding Landkreis, within which Gerlingen sits. Operates the same Volkshochschule model under the same state association and is the natural catchment competitor for adult learners in the region.
• Volkshochschule Korntal-Münchingen: Neighboring VHS institution that is an existing cooperation partner of vhs Gerlingen (joint children's Digital Camp). Operates with an essentially identical Volkshochschule model in an adjacent municipality, making it a directly comparable community education peer.

Others

• vhs.cloud (Deutsches Volkshochschulen-Verbund): Shared digital learning infrastructure operated by the German VHS association and used by vhs Gerlingen for online course delivery. Functions as an enabling platform (and a peer in the sense of being a sibling institutional tool) rather than a competitor, but its trajectory shapes how all VHS institutions scale digital offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/vhs_gerlingen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/volkshochschule

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Volkshochschule