WBS TRAINING AG

What WBS TRAINING AG does

WBS TRAINING AG, operating as WBS GRUPPE, is a Berlin-headquartered, privately held German education group founded in 1980 and registered as a European Company (WBS TRAINING SE; HRB 286020 B). It operates a multi-brand portfolio spanning the full German education value chain: government-funded vocational retraining and continuing education (WBS TRAINING, AZAV-certified under Reg. 015344), vocational schooling in healthcare, nursing, social care, technology and business (WBS SCHULEN), intensive IT coding bootcamps (WBS CODING SCHOOL), online part-time master's degrees (WBS AKADEMIE), a part-time higher education institution (NBS Northern Business School), the railway training academy acquired in 2024 (DEA Deutsche Eisenbahn Akademie), and the digital learning portal myGovSpace for public administration executives launched in March 2024.

The group's technology stack is anchored on the proprietary cloud-based eCampus learning management system and the WBS LernNetz Live platform for synchronous remote instruction, with a self-developed AI tutor named 'Kitu' that personalizes learning content and provides chatbot support. Kitu forwards user inputs to OpenAI under a GDPR-compliant data processing agreement. Recurring integrations with Softgarden (applicant tracking with AI-matching) and Textkernel (CV parsing) support recruiting operations. The group is DQS-certified to ISO 9001:2015 and is an authorized education partner of SAP, DATEV, and LEXWARE.

WBS generated €172 million in revenue in 2023 and serves approximately 35,000 customers annually through 280+ training locations with roughly 1,800–1,987 employees as of 2024. The revenue model is mixed: the dominant stream is government-funded training paid via Bildungsgutschein and the Qualifizierungschancengesetz (multi-year contracts under SGB III), supplemented by direct B2B corporate training, self-pay coding bootcamps, and tuition-based online degree programs. Distribution combines inside/field sales, embedded referrals from the Federal Employment Agency and Jobcenter, and self-service online enrollment. The group is governed by a four-member Vorstand (Joachim Giese, Heinrich Kronbichler, Dr. Jana Bernstein, Dr. Martin Heinig) with Dr. Daniel Stadler chairing the Supervisory Board; no parent company, public listing, or institutional investor ownership is disclosed.

Name

WBS TRAINING AG

Legal name

WBS TRAINING SE

Website

https://wbs-gruppe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

WBS TRAINING AG (WBS GRUPPE) is a German multi-brand education provider offering government-funded vocational training, vocational schooling, IT coding bootcamps, online master's degrees, and specialized railway and public-administration training to approximately 35,000 customers annually across 280+ locations, with €172M in 2023 revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education and Training Services

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Computer Training (611420), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning (EDAAAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enterprise Applications & ERP/CRM (SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Workday) (EDABAFAJ), IT Support & End-User Computing (Helpdesk, Desktop, M365/Google Workspace) (EDABAFAN)

Keywords

• Vocational training services
• Government-funded education
• Corporate upskilling programs
• Digital learning platforms
• Professional development courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin, Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Training (AZAV Certified): WBS GRUPPE generates significant revenue through government-funded professional training programs. As an AZAV-certified education provider (Registration 015344), the company delivers vocational training, retraining, and continuing education funded by public employment agencies (Agentur für Arbeit), job centers, rehabilitation providers, and other government bodies under Germany's Social Code (SGB III). Training costs and up to 100% of wages during training may be covered through programs like the Qualifizierungschancengesetz.
2. Corporate Training and B2B Services: Revenue from in-house training programs and professional development services sold directly to companies. WBS provides customized training solutions for employee upskilling and reskilling, often funded through employer-sponsored programs or government support mechanisms.
3. Self-Pay Programs (WBS CODING SCHOOL): Intensive coding bootcamps and IT professional training programs. While government education vouchers (Bildungsgutschein) can cover costs for eligible participants, individuals may also pay directly for programs not covered by subsidies.
4. Online Degree Programs (WBS AKADEMIE): Part-time online master's programs (MBA and MSc) offered alongside employment. Revenue generated from tuition fees for career-oriented distance learning programs in collaboration with industry partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

WBS GRUPPE delivers vocational retraining, continuing professional education, and corporate upskilling programs across Germany through a multi-brand portfolio. The core business is government-funded vocational training (Bildungsgutschein) under Germany's AZAV accreditation, complemented by self-pay IT bootcamps, online master's degrees, railway industry training, and a digital portal for public administration executives.

Product overview

WBS TRAINING AG (WBS GRUPPE) operates as a multi-brand education provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of vocational training, professional development, and higher education services. The core brand WBS TRAINING provides government-subsidized vocational training for unemployed individuals and career-oriented professionals (WBS TRAINING | PRO). Supporting sub-brands cover K-12 vocational schooling (WBS SCHULEN), intensive IT bootcamp programs (WBS CODING SCHOOL), online degree programs (WBS AKADEMIE), railway industry training (DEA Deutsche Eisenbahn Akademie), and part-time higher education (NBS Northern Business School). A recently launched digital portal, myGovSpace, targets public administration executives. The group leverages AI-powered learning tools (Kitu AI tutor), online live learning formats (WBS LernNetz Live®), and holds ISO 9001:2015 and AZAV certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WBS TRAINING Government-subsidized vocational training (geförderte Bildungsangebote) for unemployed individuals and career-oriented continuing education programs for professionals. Covers a broad range of disciplines including IT, business, and technical fields, delivered across more than 280 locations and via the WBS LernNetz Live online platform.
• WBS SCHULEN Accredited vocational schools (Berufsschulen) offering vocational training programs, retraining (Umschulung), continuing education, and specialized technical and business school programs (Fachschule für Technik und Wirtschaft) at the secondary level in healthcare, nursing, social services, technology, and economics.
• WBS CODING SCHOOL Intensive IT training programs producing job-ready software specialists through multi-week full-time or part-time bootcamp-style courses. Features project-based curriculum, weekly career coaching, portfolio development, and SpeakTech language training. Funded via Bildungsgutschein education vouchers or self-pay.
• WBS AKADEMIE Online distance learning platform offering part-time professional master's degrees (MBA and MSc) for working professionals. Programs are delivered live and online through the WBS LernNetz Live platform, allowing students to study flexibly alongside their careers.
• DEA Deutsche Eisenbahn Akademie Railway industry training academy providing certification and continuing education for railway personnel. As Germany's first railway specialist school, it offers hybrid-format locomotive engineer (Lokführer:in) training with online theory and practical training at an on-site training railway.
• NBS Northern Business School Part-time higher education institution offering Bachelor's and Master's degree programs designed for working professionals, complementing career commitments with academic study.
• myGovSpace Digital portal for executives in German public administration providing E-Learning, feasibility studies, moderated workshops, and keynote presentations to support digital transformation of government services. Offers 24/7 access to competency development and networking tools for government leadership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 35,000 customers served annually across all brands
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DEA Deutsche Eisenbahn AkademiecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2024DEA Deutsche Eisenbahn Akademie was integrated into WBS GRUPPE as a brand in 2024, strengthening the company's presence in railway industry training. DEA offers specialized training for railway personnel including the first hybrid locomotive engineer certification program in Germany.
• SAP®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWBS GRUPPE is a certified education partner of SAP®, offering authorized training programs for SAP software. This partnership enables WBS to deliver official SAP certification courses.
• DATEV®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWBS GRUPPE is a certified education partner of DATEV®, offering authorized training programs for DATEV accounting and tax software.
• LEXWARE®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWBS GRUPPE is a certified education partner of LEXWARE®, offering authorized training programs for LEXWARE business software solutions.
• softgarden e-Recruiting GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftgarden provides applicant management system (ATS) for WBS recruiting. The platform includes AI-matching for applications, job newsletter subscriptions, interview transcription services, salary statistics module, CV parsing via Textkernel integration, and survey tools for candidate experience.
• OpenAIcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenAI processes user inputs from the Kitu AI tutor for response generation. A data processing agreement ensures GDPR compliance, and EU Standard Contractual Clauses cover data transfers to the USA. OpenAI confirms data is not used for model training.
• neusta (team neusta)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExternal audit partner that conducted accessibility assessment of the WBS GRUPPE website and provided implementation recommendations for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.
• Party RentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative 'Gemeinsam gegen den Fachkräftemangel' (Together against the skilled labor shortage) launched October 2023, combining WBS training programs with Party Rent's industry reach.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• StackFuel: Berlin-based data science and AI bootcamp offering part-time courses for working professionals. Comparable to WBS CODING SCHOOL and WBS TRAINING PRO in the IT upskilling and AI literacy segment for career changers.
• neuefische: German coding bootcamp offering intensive programming courses for career changers, often funded via Bildungsgutschein. Direct competitor to WBS CODING SCHOOL in the IT career-change segment with similar voucher-funded business model.

Direct peers

• IU Internationale Hochschule: Germany's largest private university, offering state-recognized distance learning degrees (Bachelor's and Master's) including MBA and MSc programs. Closely comparable to WBS AKADEMIE and NBS Northern Business School in online higher education for working professionals.
• DEKRA Akademie: Subsidiary of DEKRA SE offering technical and vocational training, retraining, and certified qualification programs across Germany. Comparable to WBS in technical and safety-related workforce upskilling with similar B2B and government-funded models.
• BBQ Berufliche Bildung: German vocational education provider with strong focus on retraining (Umschulung) and government-funded programs. Comparable to WBS in AZAV-certified programs serving unemployed and career-changing individuals across multiple disciplines.
• TÜV Rheinland Akademie: Vocational training and certification arm of TÜV Rheinland, offering technical and professional development programs. Comparable to WBS in technical certifications, corporate training, and standardized qualification offerings.
• bfw – Bildungswerk der Baden-Württembergischen Wirtschaft: Major German vocational retraining and qualification provider with AZAV certification. Comparable to WBS in serving both individual learners via government vouchers and corporate clients for workforce development.
• IBB Institut für Berufliche Bildung: German private education provider focused on AZAV-certified retraining and continuing education funded by Bildungsgutschein. Directly comparable to WBS GRUPPE in serving unemployed job seekers and career changers through government-funded vocational programs.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Global online learning platform offering courses, certificates, and degrees from universities and companies. Competes with WBS AKADEMIE and broader WBS offerings in self-paced professional development and corporate upskilling.
• LinkedIn Learning: Online professional development platform integrated with LinkedIn's professional network. Competes with WBS TRAINING PRO and WBS CODING SCHOOL in corporate and professional upskilling, especially for employed professionals seeking career advancement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl8_XfFxXZN3ksJcHSaJyUA
• Facebookfacebook.com/wbsgruppe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbs-gruppe
• Instagraminstagram.com/wbsgruppe

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries7 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 WBS TRAINING AG