ICC and Pearson announce partnership to develop skills for people in a rapidly changing economy

Over the past decade, digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence have reshaped industries and created new skillset requirements for workforces everywhere. These changing conditions have only accelerated in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, where necessary public lockdowns and workplace closures have transformed the nature of work, education, and daily life.

In this context, ICC and Pearson will work together to co-create educational programmes that will reskill workers in a rapidly developing global economy. At the same time, the partnership aims to empower companies to retrain and retain their employees and offer workers the opportunity to have their skills formally recognised through certificate programmes. Working in partnership with ICC Academy, ICC’s e-learning platform, the organisations will develop a variety of certificate offerings, short courses, micro-credentials, bootcamps, and other products. This wide portfolio of products will be made available on Pearson Advance – a learning platform from Pearson offering flexible online courses.

ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said:

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICC-Pearson partnership will empower companies of all sizes and their employees to reskill, retrain, and prepare for the future of work. By providing these skills and training opportunities, the ICC-Pearson partnership will facilitate an inclusive economic transition for all. As the institutional voice of 45 million businesses around the world, ICC recognises that to maximise the benefits of the digital economy, we need to ensure that adequate skilling and training opportunities are made widely available to companies and their employees.

Rod Bristow, President, UK and Global Online Learning, Pearson, said:

We know that learners’ needs are changing – they want to learn online, in bitesize chunks, at a time that is convenient to them. Learners are also telling us they want high-quality, formally accredited programmes that are recognised by employers. Our new partnership with the ICC will meet those needs and showcases Pearson’s role providing learning anywhere, any time and any place. We hope that companies and employees across the world will benefit from our wide range of learning programmes and courses as they reskill and retrain for our ever-changing global economy.

ICC and Pearson are also working together on the recently launched ICC-UNESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship, a pioneering initiative to prepare and mobilise the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Arab region. Based in Lebanon, the Centre of Entrepreneurship provides local entrepreneurs with the tools, resources, and solutions to bring their ideas to life.