Pearson has launched its latest digital venture in the form of a brand-new Learning Hub.

Pearson Learning Hub, which launched last month, is currently in its pilot state. Initially offering 13 behaviour modules to improve learners’ understanding and skills in areas such as decision-making and commercial awareness, the hub also offers a learning programme for providers and employers to support and develop any first line manager or team leader – including apprentices on the team leader/supervisor level 3 apprenticeship standard.

More content is being developed for the Learning Hub, which can be accessed via a desktop computer or smartphone.

Pearson has modelled its Learning Hub in response to what it has observed about the changing nature of learning across the globe.

In May, the education giant conducted a Global Learner Survey of 11,000 people across 19 countries aged between 16 and 70 and found learners believed the 40-year career previous generations had enjoyed had vanished and the emphasis now should be on preparing learners with the skills needs of the future (including soft skills), multiple careers and a journey of lifelong learning.

In the survey learners also said digital and virtual learning were the new norm and they expected to be able to access engaging learning content anytime, anywhere.

This Pearson initiative is being led by the education company’s Director of Apprenticeships, Rohini Bhattacharya, who explained the idea for Learning Hub was prototyped and developed by a small, agile and highly skilled team within Pearson.

“Most of us have experience of Netflix and other successful high quality streaming services,” she said.

“What we’ve developed brings similar technology to the world of learning and education. Our vision for the Learning Hub is for it to provide high quality, easily digestible and accessible content to learners of all ages, across all genres anywhere, anytime.”

The Learning Hub is an ideal project for Bhattacharya and her team whose prior work experience came in handy for the hub, which involved working with external vendors and different parts of Pearson to bring together practices from technology, digital learning and education pedagogy.”

Pearson said: “A key focus of ours for Pearson Learning Hub is to find ways of navigating today’s disruptive technology arena to leverage its impact on education delivery, learning and the future of skills.”

Rohini Bhattacharya

On who the hub is aimed at, Bhattacharya said: “It can be used by employers who are looking to provide an online learning and development experience for employees. By educational institutions who are looking to operate a high-quality digital learning experience for learners who are located in different regions or geographies. By learners who are looking for short modular courses that provide them with bite-size easily accessible learning that is engaging and interactive. And of course, it can also be used by educators who are looking for a blended learning approach to deliver skills-based knowledge and training.”

As well as improving learners understanding and skills, the hub can also be used to assess that understanding through digital assessments.

Currently, Learning Hub is for institutions and employers, with learners required to register on the platform using their email addresses. Once they are validated by their educational institution or employer, they can access the courses that have been assigned to them.

Pearson’s ambition is that from the end of next year Learning Hub will be an experience used directly by learners wanting to develop and improve their knowledge and skills, manage their learning and progress in their careers and in their lives.

For more information on Pearson Learning Hub please visit: go.pearson.com/lhfew

Rohini Bhattacharya, Director of Apprenticeships, Pearson UK

Rohini is an education management professional with over 17 years’ experience across private and public organisations. Her current role as director of apprenticeships at Pearson UK involves developing and delivering the product and service proposition for skills training at scale.

Rohini’s experience ranges from working in education start-ups, skills training, higher education and public sector initiatives. She is passionate about education and learning and has driven change initiatives within the skills and training industry throughout her career.

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One comment

  1. Philip Gorst

    Rohini’s article and passion for learning is easy to understand. Pearson are a big player world wide.

    What is not ever covered is how people who are flat out at work, with time and commercial pressures bearing down each day have enough time to sit and learn in their free time. I have worked in FMCG, Pharma, Extractive Industries, Food manufacture and Transport as an independent training provider for many years, and, believe me, there is no slack in any system!

    If Rohini had mentioned her biggest selling point – ‘that our system helps the learner and employer to fill the 20% OTJ/OTJ gap’ then the article has merit.

    Pearson has never had a reputation as a ‘kindly uncle’ showing learners the true way – it has always been a commercial business busy making profit. So let’s be honest and say this – ‘we can help you learn, it will fill the 20% criteria, and we will charge you for it’. Nobody has a problem with this. It’s called ‘business’.