Pearson, a well-known company that provides educational materials and assessments, has announced that it will acquire Workera, an AI-focused skills platform, in the second half of 2026. The decision comes after a report by Workera, published on ZDNET, highlighted the need for continuous AI training in the workplace. On September 29, Pearson confirmed that it had reached an agreement to buy Workera, which is used by major organizations like ServiceNow and Accenture to evaluate employee skills and identify areas for improvement. This announcement followed the release of Workera's "2026 State of Skills Intelligence" report on September 23, which found that nearly 70 percent of professionals use AI regularly, but nearly 60 percent feel they don’t have enough time to train. This suggests that both business leaders and employees need to find a way to train effectively in a world where AI is becoming increasingly common. Workera had already aimed to help organizations identify and address gaps in their employees' AI skills. A partnership with Pearson is expected to expand opportunities for skill development and AI training, especially in the workplace. In an exclusive interview with ZDNET, Kian Katanforoosh, CEO and founder of Workera, discussed the company's latest program, Ambient, an AI-native skills assessment tool currently in a pilot phase. With more than 10,000 people on the waitlist, Ambient aims to measure skills within the workflow itself. "If you can merge work and learning, you effectively help someone learn exponentially more efficiently than in the past," Katanforoosh said. "Today, thanks to AI, we are able to bring learning closer to work, because AI understands unstructured data." Pearson's acquisition of Workera reflects its goal of strengthening its enterprise offerings through adaptive training and assessments, in response to the growing need for workforce skill development in the AI era. According to a press release, Workera's technology allows business leaders to get a real-time overview of their workforce's skills, including AI mastery, targeted development, verifiable results, and better talent management decisions at all levels. Pearson believes that its long history in education, combined with Workera's technology, will lead to a new era of AI skills training. Vishaal Gupta, president of the Enterprise Learning & Skills division at Pearson, said in a statement that the combination of Workera's talent and technology with Pearson's expertise in learning and assessment will help businesses address skill gaps more quickly and build more agile and high-performing teams. Once the acquisition is finalized, expected in the second half of 2026, Workera will be integrated into Pearson's "Enterprise Learning & Skills" division. Kian Katanforoosh, Workera's co-founder and CEO, will join Pearson's executive team. In a statement, Katanforoosh said that together with Pearson, they aim to set the standard for workforce preparation and help individuals achieve more than they previously thought possible. The merger is expected to bring together Workera's AI technology with Pearson's extensive experience in learning and assessment, creating a powerful force in the field of workforce development.