Volkshochschule Nordlicher Breisgau

What Volkshochschule Nordlicher Breisgau does

Volkshochschule Nördlicher Breisgau (vhs Nördlicher Breisgau) is a publicly funded municipal adult and continuing education institution headquartered at Am Gaswerk 3 in Emmendingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It serves 12 municipalities in the Emmendingen district (including Denzlingen, Kenzingen, Teningen, Malterdingen, Herbolzheim, and others) through a network of dedicated learning centers — vhs-Haus, vhs-Schulungszentrum (Schwarzwaldstr. 3), and vhs-Business Park (Freiburger Str. 9) — plus partner locations such as Caritaswerkstätten St. Georg and municipal halls. The catalog spans seven program areas: Beruf & Digitales (Career & Digital), Gesellschaft (Society), Kultur & Kreatives (Culture & Creative), Gesundheit & Ernährung (Health & Nutrition), Sprachen (Languages), Grundbildung (Basic Education), and Junge vhs (Youth), with 142 or more language courses across 20+ languages from A1 to C2.

The institution is BAMF-authorized to deliver officially certified integration courses (Integrationskurse) and professional German language courses (Berufssprachkurse), a regulated capability that anchors its funding model. Courses are priced on a per-course, per-participant basis typically ranging from €40 to €170 depending on course type, duration, and group size, with material costs often added separately. Integration courses are partially government-funded, while consumer courses are predominantly fee-funded. Distribution runs through a 24/7 self-service online enrollment system on vhs-em.de (powered by an item360 LMS backend with shopping cart, wishlist, and account login), supplemented by in-person registration at headquarters and partner locations, plus digital marketing via newsletter and a WhatsApp channel.

The customer base comprises four overlapping segments: adult learners seeking lifelong learning, immigrants and integration course participants requiring certified German instruction, business professionals seeking language and professional skills, and seniors pursuing digital literacy. Beyond the consumer catalog, vhs runs Firmenschulungen (corporate training) including EU AI Act preparation, public lectures, and gift-voucher-based enrollment. Revenue mechanics therefore combine participant course fees, government integration-course subsidies, municipal and state contributions from Baden-Württemberg, and a small emerging corporate training stream. Operating governance is civic rather than corporate — there is no parent company, no venture funding, no public listing, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Volkshochschule Nordlicher Breisgau

Legal name

Volkshochschule Nördlicher Breisgau

Website

https://www.vhs-em.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Volkshochschule Nördlicher Breisgau is a publicly funded municipal adult education institution serving 12 municipalities in the Emmendingen district of Baden-Württemberg, delivering certified integration courses, language training, professional and digital skills, and cultural programs to individual learners and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult Continuing Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Language & Communication Continuing Education (EDAAAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure) (EDAAAEAD)

Keywords

• Adult continuing education
• Language course programs
• Integration course training
• Professional development courses
• Community education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Emmendingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: Per-course registration fees charged to individual participants. Pricing varies by course type, duration, and group size. Integration courses partially government-funded.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Volkshochschule Nördlicher Breisgau is a municipal non-profit adult education institution that delivers continuing education courses across seven subject areas: languages (142+ courses in 20+ languages), German and integration (BAMF-authorized), career and digital skills, society, culture and creative arts, health and nutrition, basic education, and youth programs. Courses are delivered in-person at multiple locations across 12 municipalities and online, with fees paid per course by individual participants and some courses partially funded by government subsidies.

Product overview

Volkshochschule Nördlicher Breisgau is a community adult education center (Volkshochschule) providing continuing education across multiple program areas. The institution offers a comprehensive portfolio of language courses (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, and other world languages), integration programs for immigrants, professional and digital skills training, cultural and creative arts, health and nutrition education, basic literacy programs, and youth programming. Courses are delivered in-person at various locations across the region (Emmendingen, Denzlingen, Kenzingen, and other municipalities) as well as online. The institution also provides corporate training services and public lectures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sprachen (Languages)
• Deutsch und Integration (German and Integration)
• Beruf & Digitales (Career & Digital)
• Gesellschaft (Society)
• Kultur & Kreatives (Culture & Creative)
• Gesundheit & Ernährung (Health & Nutrition)
• Grundbildung (Basic Education)
• Junge vhs (Youth Programs)
• Online-Kurse (Online Courses)
• Firmenschulungen (Corporate Training)
• Vorträge (Lectures)
• Gutscheine (Gift Vouchers)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Caritasverband Freiburg-Stadt e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusive course partnership offering joint programs for people with and without disabilities. Courses include Barista training and basket weaving held at Caritaswerkstätten St. Georg in Denzlingen. Promotes social integration through shared learning experiences.
• fortbildung-bwminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContinuing education portal for Baden-Württemberg. vhs listed as certified provider on the platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Volkshochschule München: State-recognized municipal Volkshochschule serving the city of Munich with the same portfolio of language, professional, cultural, and integration courses under the same DVV/vhs framework. Directly comparable model, just at metropolitan scale.
• Volkshochschule Stuttgart: Volkshochschule operating in the same Baden-Württemberg region with comparable program mix including BAMF integration courses, language and professional training. Closest geographic and structural peer.
• Volkshochschule Berlin: Largest municipal vhs in Germany, offering the same federally-aligned program categories (Sprachen, Beruf, Gesundheit, Kultur, Integration). Direct structural peer with broader scale.
• Volkshochschule Frankfurt am Main: Municipal vhs operating under identical legal framework with parallel program areas and BAMF authorization. Comparable offering structure and operating model.
• Volkshochschule Köln: Municipal adult education institution offering the same language, integration, and continuing-education portfolio within the same national vhs association.

Emerging players

• Deutschakademie: Private German-language school chain competing directly for integration-course and DaF learners with a focused, urban, online-friendly model; encroaches on the vhs's integration-course moat.
• Babbel: Subscription-based online language-learning platform that competes with the vhs's A1–B2 general language courses on convenience and price, eroding the entry-level conversational segment.
• Duolingo: Freemium mobile-first language platform that captures self-directed adult learners before they ever consider in-person continuing education, putting price pressure on the A1/A2 base of the catalog.
• GoAcademy / Lingoda: Online live-group language school targeting adult learners seeking CEFR-aligned outcomes; functionally substitutes for vhs small-group language courses with greater scheduling flexibility.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera / Udemy: Large-scale online learning platforms offering continuing-education and professional upskilling courses (Beruf & Digitales equivalents) at low marginal cost, competing for the same adult-learner demand pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Nordlicher Breisgau