Digital credential company Credly acquired by Pearson

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Credly’s digital badge offerings will join Pearson’s workforce analysis, learning and assessment solutions.

by Elizabeth Loutfi-Hipchen

January 31, 2022

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Digital media and learning provider Pearson has acquired digital credentialing organization Credly.

Pearson, which already had a nearly 20 percent stake in the digital badge giant, announced the acquisition, valued at $200 million, in a Jan. 31 press release.

“The Credly acquisition is another important step in accelerating our strategy in the workforce skills market and in building connectivity across the entire Pearson portfolio,” says Andy Bird, chief executive officer of Pearson, in the press release. “The growing skills gap is putting enormous pressure on the labor market, making verified credentials more essential than ever before.”

Bird added Pearson originally invested in Credly in 2018 because they recognized its potential with their management team’s deep understanding of the talent market. “This acquisition will help us address the unique challenges that employers and consumers face during this era of profound change in the world,” he says in the release.

Credly’s digital badge offerings will join Pearson’s workforce analysis, learning and assessment solutions. It’s the most recent acquisition by Pearson, which intends to grow its presence in the workforce skills and capabilities development market. In September 2021, Pearson acquired Faethm, an AI analytics company based in Australia.

Credly has issued 50 million credentials to 25 million consumers, and has served more than 2,000 organizations. According to the release, Credly will continue to do “business as usual” under its new ownership.

“This exciting move combines Credly’s expertise in the skills economy with the global scale, learning expertise and financial strength of Pearson,” says Jonathan Finkelstein, founder and CEO of Credly, in the press release. “Joining forces accelerates the realization of our vision to build a world where every person can achieve their full potential based on their verified skills and where organizations can make better human capital decisions and build more equitable workforces using trusted information about what people know and can do.”

Elizabeth Loutfi-Hipchen

Elizabeth Loutfi-Hipchen is managing editor for Chief Learning Officer.

To comment, email:  editor@chieflearningofficer.com.