Pearson to to axe 500 UK jobs
The international education company Pearson has announced it is preparing to cut 10 per cent of its global workforce, with 500 losses expected to effect employees in the UK.
Among other activities, Pearson is responsible for setting and marking GCSE, A-level and BTEC examinations and it has not been decided whether the company’s exam arm will be affected by the cuts.
However, a spokesperson reassured that the company would continue to invest its business in UK schools.
He said: “The UK is our home market and our second biggest market globally. Despite these necessary changes to simplify our business, we are completely committed to continuing to invest here for the long-term.”
In a statement released by Pearson, John Fallon, chief executive, said that although the company’s competitive performance had been ‘strong’ in recent years, ‘cyclical and policy related challenges’ had presented trials which were ‘more pronounced and persisted for longer than anticipated’.
Whilst Fallon did not detail the particulars of such ‘policy challenges’, it is understood that they related to issues in Pearson’s biggest markets, including the UK.
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