Workera

Edtech · HR Tech · AI

Acquisition

Pearson agrees to acquire AI skills-assessment platform Workera

The deal pairs assessment data with training content, letting Pearson target upskilling precisely where workers' AI gaps actually are.

• Pearson has agreed to acquire Workera, an AI-native skills-intelligence platform, with the deal expected to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals.
• Founded in 2019 in Palo Alto by Kian Katanforoosh, Workera combines agentic AI, psychometrics and adaptive simulations to measure what employees can actually do in role-specific scenarios, rather than relying on credentials.
• Workera's roughly 60-person team serves customers including ServiceNow, Accenture and the US Space Force, and will join Pearson's Enterprise Learning & Skills business, with Katanforoosh joining Pearson's leadership team.
• Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
• The deal lands days after Workera's 2026 State of Skills Intelligence report found nearly 70% of workers use AI regularly but almost 60% say they lack time to upskill.
• Workera is piloting Ambient, a workflow-embedded AI skills-assessment tool that has drawn over 10,000 waitlist signups, aiming to measure capability directly within work rather than through separate tests.
• As AI reshapes job requirements faster than credentials can track, employers are shifting from resumes and degrees to real-time, evidence-based measures of what workers can actually do.