German e-learning market is growing

The German e-learning market is growing despite the financial crisis, according to a study by the German MMB institute. However, accurate figures are difficult to generate for this young and fast-changing business segment.

Having increased from 202 million euros in 2007 to 237 million euros in 2008, the reported business volume of the industry has grown by 17 per cent. Author Lutz Goertz of MMB reckons that the total revenue of the e-learning sector in Germany is even higher, as the figures do not include turnovers of global players, self-employed trainers and publishers.

The researchers' attempt to identify market leaders shows the fast pace of changes in the industry. While the study ranks imc AG, digital publishing AG and Bassier, Bergmann & Kindler as top-selling companies, takeovers and insolvencies on lower ranks led to outdated results even before the study was released.

In this context, the study shows that a company's success strongly depends on its business focus. "Production of digital content" and "digital learning content and e-learning courses" form the strongest market segments whereas the "sale of e-learning and knowledge management hardware" is least profitable.