IBM and Pearson Partner to Combat $1.1 Trillion Skills Gap with AI-Powered Learning Tools
The two companies intend to develop specialized tools to verify the capabilities of AI agents, ensuring they are reliable and ready for organizational deployment.
RMN Digital Enterprise Desk
New Delhi | December 21, 2025
ARMONK, N.Y. and LONDON, UK — Technology company IBM and Pearson, a leading global learning company, announced a strategic partnership to develop personalized, AI-driven learning products for businesses, educational institutions, and public organizations. This global initiative aims to address a massive economic challenge, as research from Pearson highlights that skills mismatches and inefficient career transitions cost the U.S. economy approximately $1.1 trillion in lost annual earnings.
The collaboration will leverage IBM’s watsonx Orchestrate and watsonx Governance to build tools designed to help learners and employers keep pace with an AI-reshaped workforce. Beyond external products, IBM will help Pearson build a custom AI-powered platform—modeled after IBM Consulting Advantage—to transform Pearson’s internal operations and enhance data-driven decision-making.
The partnership also designates Pearson as IBM’s primary strategic partner for workforce transformation, granting IBM’s 270,000 employees and its global customers access to Pearson’s enterprise solutions, including Credly for digital credentials and Faethm for workforce planning. Furthermore, the two companies intend to develop specialized tools to verify the capabilities of AI agents, ensuring they are reliable and ready for organizational deployment.
Leadership Perspectives:
- Omar Abbosh, CEO of Pearson: “Together with IBM, we’re building trusted AI-powered learning tools that will help people and organizations adapt, learn, and thrive in a world of constant change”.
- Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM: “IBM and Pearson are bringing AI-powered education to more organizations to help people learn faster”.
This agreement advances Pearson’s strategy of forming 360-degree relationships with key strategic partners to drive growth and deliver better outcomes for customers worldwide.
This partnership acts like a GPS for professional development; Pearson provides the detailed maps of required skills and credentials, while IBM provides the advanced engine and real-time data to help learners navigate the fastest route to their career goals.
