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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 09/08/2026 * home * news * Pearson and Illinois Tech to explore employability pathways and workforce-focused learning credentials. HOBOKEN, N.J. and CHICAGO - September 8, 2026 - 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, e-Discovery Team can explore new ways to connect rigorous academic learning with the skills employers are seeking - from artificial intelligence and healthcare to emerging fields e-Discovery Team has 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, its purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. e-Discovery Team believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That's why its c. 18,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. e-Discovery Team is the world's lifelong learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For e-Discovery Team, learning isn't just what e-Discovery Team do. It's who e-Discovery Team is. Visit e-Discovery Team 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. Media contacts. Samantha Miller Media and Public Relations Manager Pearson [email protected] Petra Kelly Communications Director Illinois Institute of Technology Cell: 773.771.1064 [email protected] [email protected]

Pros and Cons of AI in the Education Sector. AI is making an impact in education. Many teachers and students alike are utilizing AI tools to augment learning and teaching, finding new ways to transform the realm of education. 30% of K-12 students use AI tools at least once per day. However, while there are several benefits to having AI in the classroom, there are some challenges as well to be aware of. Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of AI in the education sector. Pros of AI in Education There are several benefits to AI in education. Technology has transformed education tremendously, enabling new and innovative ways for teachers to conduct their lesson plans and for students to learn. According to ABC News, 2023 Tennessee Teacher of the Year Melissa Collins called AI "a tool to spark creativity" that inspires educators to "think differently." These new technologies are introducing new ideas for many educators to teach information in more effective and interesting ways. * Reducing Teacher Workload: With AI, educators can streamline lesson plans and generate drafts, questions, and summaries in moments. Using AI for these types of tasks allows teachers to spend more time directly with the students, where they can better understand each of them and their learning styles. Studies show teachers who regularly use AI save an average of 6 weeks per school year. * Personalized Learning: AI tools can understand students' learning styles and paces and automatically adjust educational content based on their needs. Educators can also make use of student data that has been analyzed through AI to better identify learning patterns that might be missed otherwise, allowing teachers to adjust their teaching methods and one-on-one lessons for certain students. * Improved Accessibility: AI can translate educational materials into students' native language to reduce language barriers in their learning. In addition, AI can implement captions and vocabulary support to ensure that those with special needs receive the accommodations they need for a positive learning experience. AI in education is about delivering real, measurable value. Pearson, the 180-year-old education company, has spent the last three years developing AI-powered educational tools to help students really learn about the subject they are focusing on, rather than simply receiving the correct answer with no explanation. Pearson has integrated AI into its products including MyLab and Mastering, textbook-linked courseware platforms for homework, practice, and assessment. They also deployed an AI-powered math tutor and AI study tools in Connections Academy, their tuition-free online K-12 public school. The company combines technology with proprietary content and large amounts of learner data to develop products for specific settings and student learning practices. The key to ensuring consistent real value is constantly changing and pivoting. Pearson utilizes its learning expertise and shifting student learning data to identify struggle points for students and how their performance shifts over time. They use this data to upgrade and transform learning services to fit the needs of those who use them. This is a great way to highlight how AI delivers real value. Cons of AI in Education AI in education comes with many benefits, but there are also a few challenges to keep in mind. As with any type of technology, there must be human oversight and minimal over-reliance to ensure real value is delivered. Some schools are pushing AI but lacking the proper guidance to use it in an effective and responsible manner. According to ABC News, a teacher from Missouri named Julia Casey has stated that different AI tools are being introduced into her school but stressed that more guidance is needed to ensure teachers support learning outcomes using AI without sacrificing instructional quality. There must be a balance between technology and the importance of human creativity and connection in the classroom. * Student Data Protection: If AI is involved with student data and information, schools must ensure that data is protected. In addition, families must be made aware of how their children's information is being used and how it is stored and protected. * Risk of Over-Reliance: It is important to ensure that AI is being utilized to enhance teaching and learning, not to replace critical thinking skills and student efforts in projects and classwork. Human connection and hands-on learning are crucial in the classroom, as well as meaningful collaborative discussions that do not always involve the use of technology. * Potential Inaccurate Outputs: AI is not always perfect, and there remains the risk of inaccurate outputs in learning materials. Students and teachers should learn how to recognize false content from AI and ensure human-in-the-loop practices. Human oversight and review of any AI-generated material is a crucial part of responsible and ethical AI in education. Recently, middle school students in Kentucky were sent home with a packet of educational materials that had many AI hallucinations contained within. There were misspellings of state names and misplaced cities in a map of North America, including Kentucky being spelled "Venecky" and Lousinana spelled "Lookoong." There were also other issues within the materials, such as a periodic table showing Magnesium having an impossible atomic mass of -3.08, and a map of the solar system where Mars has been labeled "Marc." These inaccuracies highlight the importance of understanding when AI should be used and that anything augmented with AI should be reviewed before additional challenges emerge in students' learning experiences. AI in education has great potential, but before it is thoroughly implemented as a daily tool in classrooms, educators must be aware of the pros and cons. As with AI in any industry, it must be integrated wherever it delivers real value, not just AI for the sake of AI. This is how it becomes most effective in ensuring the advantages outweigh any potential challenges and contributes to a more positive learning experience. "Education is the foundation upon which we build our future." - Christine Gregoire, Attorney and former Governor of Washington

Pearson ADA settlement raises questions over vendor liability. Pearson outsourced its benefits and training platforms to TP vendors. The EEOC said that did not outsource its ADA obligations. Every employer using TP HR technology has the same exposure. Pearson Education's $150,000 disability discrimination settlement has put a less obvious employment liability exposure under scrutiny: what happens when the technology behind a workplace discrimination claim belongs to an outside vendor. The educational publishing company agreed to settle a US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging that employees with visual impairments could not properly access online systems used for benefits, leave and workplace training. Those platforms were provided by third parties, according to the EEOC. But outsourcing the technology did not remove Pearson's responsibility to provide employees with reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the agency alleged. That distinction extends the potential source of an employment practices liability claim beyond hiring, firing and other decisions made directly by managers. Increasingly digitized HR operations mean accessibility problems in benefits portals, training systems and other employee technology can also develop into discrimination allegations. The EEOC said in announcing the settlement that Pearson's online platforms contained technical issues that prevented employees using screen-reading software from receiving access comparable to employees without visual impairments. Under a three-year consent decree, Pearson must hire a web accessibility consultant to audit its benefits platforms and training modules and make improvements where needed. It must also provide annual accessibility and reasonable accommodation training to human resources personnel, notify third-party vendors about accessibility requirements and report its compliance to the EEOC. "When an employer uses online systems for benefits, leave or training, accessibility cannot be an afterthought," Kimberly Cruz, regional attorney for the EEOC's New York District, said. "Technology that shuts out employees with disabilities deprives them of equal opportunity both to succeed in the workplace and to access the benefits they have earned." Employer responsibility follows the technology. The issue reaches beyond Pearson because of how much of the modern workplace technology stack now sits outside the employer itself. Benefits administration, employee training, recruiting and other HR functions are routinely handled through external software providers. The EEOC's position is that contracting out those functions does not necessarily contract out the employer's accommodation obligations. Its guidance for employees with visual disabilities specifically states that an employer is not excused from providing an accommodation because another entity has been contracted to provide training. The parties can allocate responsibility for accommodations through their contract, but the employer remains responsible for ensuring the employee receives the required accommodation. That creates another dimension to vendor due diligence. A failure that begins with incompatible software or an inaccessible interface may ultimately surface as an employment discrimination claim against the organization using it. The development comes as employment practices liability insurers are already grappling with claims emerging from employers' growing reliance on technology. Insurance Business recently reported that AI exclusions are beginning to appear in parts of the EPL market as litigation examines who bears responsibility when third-party employment technology contributes to allegedly discriminatory outcomes. While the Pearson dispute did not involve artificial intelligence, both issues raise a similar question around where responsibility sits when an employer relies on technology supplied by someone else. Disability accommodation is also emerging against a backdrop of persistently high employment discrimination activity. The EEOC received 88,201 new discrimination charges in fiscal year 2025, following 88,531 the previous year. Previous Insurance Business reporting on workplace discrimination claims has also identified failures around employee accommodations as a recurring source of EPL exposure. The Pearson case adds technology procurement and accessibility to that discussion. As more employment functions move onto third-party platforms, the controls surrounding those vendors - including accessibility testing, contractual responsibilities and processes for responding when employees report problems - may increasingly sit alongside traditional HR practices when employment risks are assessed.