Pearson strengthens enterprise offering with adaptive assessment and skills intelligence to meet growing demand for workforce transformation in the era of AI

LONDON, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), the world’s lifelong learning company, today announced it has agreed to acquire Workera, the AI-native skills intelligence platform used by leading enterprises to verify what their workforce can actually do.

Workera combines agentic AI, psychometrics and adaptive assessment to measure demonstrated proficiency through role-specific scenarios and simulations. Its proven technology and top tier talent will accelerate Pearson’s ability to help enterprises build the workforce they need for AI-driven transformation, reflecting Pearson’s continued investment in enterprise skilling.

Workera’s technology gives business leaders:

• A live baseline of workforce capability, including AI fluency
• Targeted development, sending each employee to the specific learning that closes their gaps
• Verified outcomes that show whether skills actually improved, giving leaders defensible ROI on AI and learning investments
• Better talent decisions across hiring, internal mobility, redeployment and strategic workforce planning

Vishaal Gupta, President, Enterprise Learning & Skills at Pearson, said: “In the era of AI, an organization’s ability to assess and develop skills will be key. Workera has pioneered a new approach to continuously measuring and validating workforce capabilities, giving organizations an accurate understanding of the skills they have today and what they will need in the future. Combining Workera’s talented workforce and technology, with Pearson’s expertise in learning and assessment, strengthens our ability to help enterprises close skills gaps faster and build more agile and capable workforces.”

Kian Katanforoosh, founder and CEO, Workera, said: “The future will require all of us to develop new skills and learn faster than ever. We built Workera to harness AI so people can discover what they’re capable of, organizations can recognize talent they might otherwise overlook, and learning can lead to progress you can actually see.  Pearson has helped people learn and grow around the world for generations. Together, we’ll bring Workera’s AI and Pearson’s deep expertise in learning and assessment to a shared ambition: building the gold standard for workforce readiness and helping people achieve more than they thought possible.”

Workera serves blue-chip enterprises, including leaders such as ServiceNow, Accenture, and the United States Space Force. Upon completion, Workera will become part of Pearson’s Enterprise Learning & Skills business unit, and Workera co-founder and CEO Kian Katanforoosh will join its leadership team.

Workera was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company serves enterprise and government customers and has a team of approximately 60 people.

Completion of the acquisition is expected to occur in H2 2026 subject to regular closing conditions, including any required regulatory filings or approvals. 

About Pearson

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realise the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our c.18,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s lifelong learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital learning and assessments experiences, verified skills, and credentials.  For us, learning isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are. Visit us at plc.pearson.com.

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SOURCE Pearson