DRK Landesschule Baden-Württemberg

What DRK Landesschule Baden-Württemberg does

DRK-Landesschule Baden-Württemberg gGmbH is a non-profit vocational education institution and Germany's largest educational body within the German Red Cross (DRK) network, founded in 1955 and headquartered in Pfalzgrafenweiler. The organization delivers training and certification for emergency medical services personnel — including three-year Notfallsanitäter (emergency paramedic) programs, Rettungssanitäter and Rettungshelfer courses, first aid instruction across multiple specializations, occupational health service (Betriebssanitätsdienst) training, and leadership/management qualifications for DRK volunteers and staff. It operates through 11 physical training sites spread across the German state of Baden-Württemberg, supported by the DRK-Lerncampus digital learning platform and the Caruso seminar booking system for enrollment and administration.

The institution's technology stack is centered on hybrid in-person and digital delivery: simulation-based training infrastructure includes the AB Sim program, the AB RETTSIM mobile simulation container, and the ACiLS course center at Villingen-Schwenningen (only the second such center in Germany) for advanced critical illness life support in partnership with DEGINA and Schwarzwald-Baar Klinikum. The DRK-Lerncampus provides time- and location-independent digital learning, while Caruso handles self-service seminar registration. Certifications include ISO 9001:2008 and AZWV accreditation, plus state recognition as a Lehranstalt for paramedic training since 1991.

The business model rests on course fees governed by a formal Gebührenordnung (fee schedule), institutional contracts with the two DRK state associations (Landesverband Baden-Württemberg and Badisches Rotes Kreuz) which jointly own the gGmbH, and corporate/organizational bookings (including Bundeswehr paramedic training at Karlsruhe). Annually the institution runs 700+ events serving 21,000+ participants with 200+ employees. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The institution is governed as a charitable gGmbH under the dual ownership of the two DRK state associations, with recent leadership transition in October 2025 installing two interim co-managing directors.

Name

DRK Landesschule Baden-Württemberg

Legal name

DRK-Landesschule Baden-Württemberg gGmbH

Website

https://drk-ls.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DRK-Landesschule Baden-Württemberg is Germany's largest German Red Cross vocational training institution, delivering paramedic, first aid, and emergency-services training across 11 sites in Baden-Württemberg, serving 21,000+ participants annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Medical Licensure Exam Prep (USMLE/COMLEX, NCLEX, Dentistry, Pharmacy, PA) (EDANAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disaster Preparedness, Risk Reduction & Early Warning (DRR) (BPAGAAAB)

Keywords

• Emergency medical training
• Paramedic certification programs
• First aid education
• Rescue services training
• Volunteer leadership qualification

Headquarters

HQ city

Pfalzgrafenweiler

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and Seminar Fees: Revenue generated from seminar bookings, professional training courses, and certification programs for emergency services personnel, first aid instructors, and DRK volunteers. Fees vary by course type and duration.
2. Educational Services: Fees for Notfallsanitäter (emergency paramedic) vocational training, rettungssanitäter and rettungshelfer certifications, and continuing education programs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DRK-Landesschule Baden-Württemberg is Germany's largest German Red Cross (DRK) educational institution, delivering vocational training, certification, and continuing education for emergency medical personnel (Notfallsanitäter, Rettungssanitäter, Rettungshelfer), first aid instructors, DRK volunteers, and corporate first aiders. It operates 11 physical training locations across Baden-Württemberg combined with a proprietary digital learning platform (DRK-Lerncampus), and runs more than 700 events annually serving over 21,000 participants.

Product overview

DRK Landesschule Baden-Württemberg is a decentralized educational institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of emergency services training, first aid education, volunteer development, and professional healthcare qualification programs. The core offerings include paramedic training (Notfallsanitäter:in, Rettungssanitäter:in, Rettungshelfer:in), first aid courses across multiple specializations, leadership and management qualifications, occupational health services, and simulation-based training. The institution operates through eleven physical locations and the DRK-Lerncampus digital learning platform, combining face-to-face instruction with online educational modules. The portfolio also includes specialized programs such as ACiLS (Advanced Critical Illness Life Support), simulation training (AB Sim/AB RETTSIM), psychosocial emergency care (PSNV), and hybrid first aid training formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DRK-Lerncampus: Digital learning platform enabling time- and location-independent learning.

Products and services

• Notfallsanitäter-Ausbildung (Emergency Paramedic Training) Three-year professional vocational training program for emergency paramedics (Notfallsanitäter:in) delivered at 11 locations across Baden-Württemberg, combining theoretical instruction blocks with practical rescue-service modules and simulation-based learning.
• Rettungssanitäter:in (Rescue Paramedic Training) Certification training program for rescue paramedics (Rettungssanitäter:in) within the emergency services qualification pathway.
• Rettungshelfer:in (Rescue Helper Training) Entry-level training program for rescue helpers (Rettungshelfer:in) within the emergency services qualification framework.
• Erste Hilfe (First Aid Training) Comprehensive first aid training courses with specialized modules for people with disabilities, children, firefighters, forestry workers, outdoor and sports participants, and children (Erste Hilfe am Kind).
• Betriebssanitätsdienst (Occupational Health Service Training) 120-hour training program for company medics comprising basic training (parts 1-2) and advanced course (part 3), with mandatory 16 continuing education units every three years, designed for companies fulfilling occupational first aid compliance.
• ACiLS Course Center (Advanced Critical Illness Life Support) Structured continuing education program (ACiLS) for physicians, nursing staff and rescue service personnel in emergency departments covering critical illness care, delivered at the second ACiLS center in Germany in partnership with DEGINA and Schwarzwald-Baar Klinikum.
• DRK-Lerncampus (Digital Learning Platform) Proprietary online learning platform enabling time- and location-independent digital learning, integrated with the in-person vocational and continuing education programs.
• Pflichtfortbildungen Erste Hilfe hybrid (Hybrid Mandatory First Aid Training) Hybrid mandatory first aid training combining four e-learning instruction units with four in-person instruction units, recognized under DGUV guidelines for first aid instructors.
• Führungs- und Leitungskräftequalifizierung (Leadership and Management Qualification) Modular qualification program for DRK leadership and management personnel covering group leader, unit leader, and association leader levels, with tactical and administrative competencies.
• Freiburger Pflegeschule (Freiburg Nursing School) Nursing school program operated at the Freiburg location in cooperation with Dreisam Sozialmedizinische Pflegebetriebe, extending DRK-Landesschule's educational offerings into nursing care.
• PSNV-Forum (Psychosocial Emergency Care Forum) Annual forum for psychosocial emergency care and crisis intervention professionals offering seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities.
• AB Sim / AB RETTSIM (Simulation-Based Training) Simulation-based training support program using realistic scenarios for practical learning, including pediatric simulation, real patient simulations with trained mimes, and a mobile roll-off simulation container for rescue services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 21,000 participants trained annually across more than 700 events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DKMS (Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2025Bone marrow donor database organization partnered with DRK-Landesschule for stem cell typing action across all 11 locations from June 11-13, 2025 to find matching donor for colleague Stephan Preiß diagnosed with leukemia. School opened all locations for public registration drives.
• DEGINA (Deutsche Gesellschaft Interdisziplinäre Notfall- und Akutmedizin e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Society for Interdisciplinary Emergency and Acute Medicine provides ACiLS (Advanced Critical Illness Life Support) course concept - structured further education for physicians, nursing staff and rescue personnel in emergency departments. DRK-Landesschule Villingen-Schwenningen is second ACiLS course center in Germany.
• Schwarzwald-Baar KlinikumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional hospital partnered with DRK-Landesschule for ACiLS course center operations. Located adjacent to Villingen-Schwenningen training location. Provides clinical expertise and practical training scenarios for critical illness care education.
• Dreisam Sozialmedizinische PflegebetriebenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint trustee with DRK-Landesschule for the Freiburg Pflegeschule (nursing school) opened in 2023 at Munzinger Straße location. Represents extension of educational services into nursing care sector.
• DKMS (Stammzellspende)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlood cancer charity benefiting from typing action at DRK-Landesschule locations. Donations of approximately 50 EUR per new registration help fund operations.
• DRK Kreisverband LörrachminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional DRK association partnered with Bad Säckingen location, providing emergency vehicle for trauma training exercises. Represents ongoing operational cooperation with local DRK units.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland e.V. (ASB): German aid organization operating ASB Bildungswerk, which provides first aid, Rettungsdienst training and continuing education — directly competing with DRK-Landesschule for both individual learners and organizational training contracts.
• Malteser Hilfsdienst gGmbH: German humanitarian aid organization operating parallel training academies for first aid, emergency medical services and disaster response, with comparable course portfolios (Rettungsdienst, Erste Hilfe, Betriebssanitäter) and overlapping customer segments in Germany.
• Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe e.V. Major German humanitarian aid organization running its own Johanniter Akademie network that delivers first-aid, emergency medical and volunteer training — a direct competitor to DRK-Landesschule with similar nonprofit structure and nationwide footprint.

Broad incumbents

• TÜV SÜD Akademie GmbH: Major commercial continuing-education provider that offers first-aid instructor training, occupational health and safety courses, and selected healthcare certifications — competes for corporate Betriebssanitäter and DGUV-related training demand but does not deliver full Notfallsanitäter vocational programs.
• DAA Deutsche Angestellten-Akademie GmbH: One of Germany's largest private vocational education providers offering healthcare and rescue service training courses at scale across multiple states — competes with DRK-Landesschule in vocational paramedic and continuing education but is a multi-sector incumbent rather than a niche specialist.
• DEKRA Akademie GmbH: Large vocational training incumbent delivering first-aid, occupational health and safety, and selected emergency services courses across Germany — comparable in customer overlap (corporate compliance training) but operating a multi-sector portfolio rather than specializing in rescue services.

Regional players

• DRK-Landesschule Bayern: Bavarian state-level DRK educational institution offering identical vocational training in emergency medical services and first aid, comparable in scale and program mix but serving southern Germany's largest state rather than Baden-Württemberg.
• DRK-Landesschule Nordrhein: State-level DRK educational institution in North Rhine-Westphalia, providing the same Notfallsanitäter, Rettungssanitäter and first-aid training portfolio in a different German state — directly comparable in mission, curriculum and structure but operating in a separate geography.

Others

• Berufsfeuerwehr München Trainingszentrum: Munich's professional fire service operates one of Germany's leading in-service emergency response training facilities for its own personnel; comparable in domain (rescue services simulation and continuing education) but serves a municipal employer rather than competing for external students.

Emerging players

• Rettungsdienstschule (private providers): Independent private German vocational school offering Rettungssanitäter and Notfallsanitäter training — directly competing for individual learners on price and flexibility, though lacking the statewide physical footprint and Red Cross institutional backing of DRK-Landesschule.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/drklandesschule
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/12437365/admin/dashboard
• Instagraminstagram.com/drklandesschule

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 DRK Landesschule Baden-Württemberg