Pearson and Illinois Tech to Explore Employability Pathways and Workforce-Focused Learning Credentials

Strategic collaboration aims to expand opportunities in artificial intelligence, healthcare education, workforce readiness, and lifelong learning

HOBOKEN, N.J. and CHICAGO, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), the world's lifelong learning company, and Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), a leading private research university focused on technology and innovation, today announced a partnership to explore the development of employability pathways, industry-aligned credentials, and AI-enabled workforce solutions designed to meet employer needs.

The collaboration brings together Pearson's global expertise in learning, assessment, and workforce skills with Illinois Tech's strengths in applied research, technology education, and career-focused academic and experiential programs. Together, the organizations will explore new opportunities to help learners develop the employability skills needed to thrive in an economy increasingly shaped by technological change.

A key focus of the collaboration will be the exploration of employability pathways, with collaboration on curriculum development, industry-specific applications, and strategies to scale workforce-relevant AI learning opportunities. The organizations will evaluate opportunities across healthcare, nursing, medical imaging, and the allied health professions.

Under the collaboration, the organizations will consider dual enrollment and dual credit opportunities for high school students, workforce credentialing, and other lifelong learning programs.

"At Illinois Tech, we are focused on ensuring that every learner can translate their education into meaningful opportunities," said Mallik Sundharam, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at Illinois Tech. "By working with Pearson, we can explore new ways to connect rigorous academic learning with the skills employers are seeking - from artificial intelligence and healthcare to emerging fields we have yet to imagine. This partnership has the potential to create more flexible, accessible pathways for learners at every stage of their education and careers."

"AI is transforming the skills employers need and the way people learn throughout their careers," said Tom ap Simon, president of Pearson Higher Education. "By combining Illinois Tech's academic leadership with Pearson's expertise in digital learning, assessment, and workforce solutions, we have an opportunity to create employability pathways that help learners gain in-demand skills, earn valuable credentials, and connect learning directly to career success."

The partnership will explore a framework for exploring workforce-focused innovations, including Illinois Tech's skills assessment framework, stackable certificates and micro-credentials, executive education programs, and employer-aligned learning experiences that help learners demonstrate and communicate their skills more effectively.

Pearson and Illinois Tech will evaluate opportunities to expand access to education and workforce development programs in the United States and select international markets, helping connect more learners to high-quality educational opportunities and career pathways.

About Pearson

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize 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 content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. Visit us at plc.pearson.com.

About Illinois Tech

Based in the global metropolis of Chicago, Illinois Tech was founded to advance technology and innovation for all. It is the only tech-focused university in the city, and it stands at the crossroads of exploration and invention, advancing the future of Chicago and the world. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, computing, architecture, business, design, science and human sciences, and law. Illinois Tech students have significant access to hands-on experiences, personalized mentorship, and job readiness through the university's one-of-a-kind Elevate program. Its graduates lead the state and much of the nation in economic prosperity. Its faculty and alumni built the Chicago skyline. And every day in the city's living lab, Illinois Tech fuels breakthroughs that change lives. Visit iit.edu.

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SOURCE Pearson