A big AI bet on the future of skills
Pearson and Microsoft have signed a multiyear strategic partnership aimed at tackling one of the biggest bottlenecks in AI adoption: the lack of people with the right skills to use it effectively at work. The deal is designed to create AI-powered learning experiences, assessments, and credentials that help employers, workers, and learners build the skills they need for an AI-driven economy.
At a high level, Pearson is bringing its global learning and assessment footprint, while Microsoft is contributing Azure cloud, AI infrastructure, and tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot to power the next wave of personalized, data‑driven education products. The companies are positioning this as foundational for helping organizations unlock real value from AI through reskilling and upskilling programs, not just technology rollouts.
Why Pearson and Microsoft are doing this now
Both companies are reacting to clear signals that AI skills are quickly becoming a basic requirement in the job market. A global IDC survey cited by Microsoft highlights that the number one challenge enterprises face when implementing AI is a shortage of skilled workers who can actually use the technology.
On top of that, Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index with LinkedIn found that 66% of business leaders say they wouldn’t hire someone who lacks AI skills, showing how fast AI literacy is turning into a hiring filter. Pearson’s own research, “Skills Outlook: Reclaim the Clock,” suggests generative AI could help U.S. workers save an estimated 78 million hours per week on repetitive, routine tasks that often cause burnout, underlining the productivity upside when people know how to use these tools.
How the partnership will work in practice
The collaboration is structured around several concrete workstreams that go beyond a simple marketing tie‑up.
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Personalized learning at scale
Pearson will move more of its trusted content, assessments, upskilling programs, and certification services onto Microsoft Azure’s cloud and AI infrastructure. This is intended to expand personalized and AI-enabled learning services to millions of learners globally, across different ages and career stages. -
New AI credentials and copilots
Microsoft and Pearson will co‑create AI credentials and certifications aimed at building AI proficiency and technical skills for today’s workforce. They also plan to collaborate on a series of copilots, agents, and AI tools that help people develop skills such as English language learning and detect skills gaps while they work, tying learning more tightly to day‑to‑day tasks. -
Investing in tech‑driven careers via certifications
Microsoft is extending its long‑running relationship with Pearson VUE, which delivers Microsoft Cloud and Office certifications, through 2029. These certifications have already supported millions of students, educators, and professionals, and the extended deal aims to bring these credentials to even more people around the world. -
Rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot inside Pearson
Pearson has already piloted Microsoft 365 Copilot internally and now plans to deploy it to its global workforce as part of this partnership. The goal is to use workplace AI tools to boost efficiency, creativity, and productivity inside Pearson itself, turning the company into a large‑scale reference customer for AI‑assisted work.
What leaders at Pearson and Microsoft are saying
Pearson CEO Omar Abbosh frames the partnership as a chance to reinvent how people learn for an AI‑first era. He notes that AI is reshaping both education and work, and argues that combining Microsoft’s AI leadership with Pearson’s enterprise skilling and learning services will help more learners advance their careers and “realize the life they imagine.” Abbosh also points out that this move builds on Pearson’s broader push to expand AI in its products and sharpen its focus on the enterprise market.
On Microsoft’s side, executive vice president and chief commercial officer Judson Althoff emphasizes that the speed and scale of AI innovation create a massive need for training and support so organizations can adopt AI responsibly and effectively. He says Microsoft is “thrilled” to partner with Pearson to develop learning experiences that give employees the AI skills needed to progress in their careers and “achieve more,” echoing Microsoft’s broader mission.
Building on existing AI skilling efforts
This Pearson and Microsoft multiyear collaboration doesn’t start from zero; it builds on existing skilling programs both companies already have in motion. In 2024 alone, Microsoft and its partners trained and certified more than 23 million people in digital skills, reflecting the scale at which the company is already operating in this space.
Pearson, for its part, recently launched a Generative AI Foundations certification designed to help students and professionals gain essential skills for working with generative AI technologies. Organizations worldwide already rely on Pearson VUE, Pearson’s AI‑driven Faethm capability, and Credly digital badging to diagnose, assess, and validate skills, and the new partnership with Microsoft is expected to deepen and expand these kinds of offerings. Learners and enterprises looking to explore Microsoft’s own AI learning pathways can turn to resources like the AI Skills Navigator, which centralizes many of Microsoft’s AI training materials and programs.
