Industry Leaders Join Forces to Address Direct-to-Consumer Market
SEATTLE & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pearson, the world’s leading education company, and Livemocha, the world’s largest online language learning community, announced today a strategic agreement to co-develop a new, direct-to-consumer, conversational English language learning experience available on Livemocha’s online platform with a global community of over two million members.
Under the terms of the agreement, Livemocha and Pearson will build a series of online conversational English courses. Pearson’s English language learning content will be integrated with Livemocha’s innovative, collaborative approach to language learning, which integrates practice of a foreign language with native speakers.
“In an increasingly global economy, the growing demand for English language skills is one of the most important trends in education,” said John Fallon, Chief Executive of Pearson’s international education company. “At Pearson, we have a long tradition of producing instructional materials that help students of all ages learn English. But we know we can make the learning experience more widely available, more engaging and more effective by integrating our content with assessment, digital services and interactive communities. This partnership with Livemocha is a part of that strategy.”
“Pearson is an ideal partner for Livemocha,” said Shirish Nadkarni, CEO of Livemocha. “We are delighted to align with an industry leader that shares our vision and commitment to providing language learners with world-class content and innovative learning tools. This partnership will further transform the language learning marketplace, empowering and engaging anyone across the globe who wants to learn English.”
“Livemocha has built the leading global community for online language learning,” said Bill Anderson, President, Global ELT, Pearson Education. “Pearson’s partnership with Livemocha will enable us to meet the worldwide demand from anyone who is seeking to improve their conversational English language skills. By joining forces with an industry leader like Livemocha, we’re able to address a broader range of language learners beyond the institutional markets we traditionally serve.”
Pearson is a global leader in English language teaching, helping people around the world through products and services ranging from textbooks and software to assessment and teacher development. Around the world, more than 20 million students annually learn English through programs developed by Longman, Pearson’s English-language teaching imprint. In addition to global and local publishing franchises for every key market segment from K-12 through to adult, business and exam preparation, Pearson Longman owns the “Learning” chain of language schools in China and is developing a portfolio of digitally-deliverable products for both institutional and individual customers.
Since its launch in September 2007, over 2 million people around the world have joined Livemocha for a fun, engaging, and highly effective language learning experience. Livemocha members connect with native language speakers online with structured web-based exercises, IM, audio/video and other learning activities. Currently, the site features courses in 12 popular languages – English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Italian, Icelandic, Japanese, Russian, Korean, German and Mandarin Chinese—with additional languages to be launched in the very near future.
The first products developed jointly by Pearson and Livemocha are scheduled for launch in August 2009.
For more information on the partnership between Livemocha and Pearson, please visit www.livemocha.com or www.pearson.com.
About Livemocha
Livemocha is a Seattle-based company that is redefining language learning by combining dynamic online lessons with the world's largest community of native language speakers. Livemocha is a free service that allows its members to become conversationally proficient in an ever-growing number of popular languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Icelandic, Italian, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Russian. Since launching in September 2007, the Livemocha community has already grown to over 2 million members, a clear indication of the growing demand for an engaging, collaborative approach to language learning. The British Council estimated that there will be 2 billion people worldwide learning English as a foreign or second language by 2020, fueled by rapid globalization, immigration and travel. For more information about Livemocha, please visit www.livemocha.com.
About Pearson
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and education technology, reaches and engages today’s digital natives with effective and personalized learning, as well as dedicated professional development for their teachers. This commitment is demonstrated in the company’s investment in innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. The company’s respected brands include Pearson Longman, Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, SuccessNet, MyLabs, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker and many others. Pearson’s comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student at every level of education. Pearson’s commitment to education for all is supported by the global philanthropic initiatives of the Pearson Foundation. Pearson’s other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go to www.pearson.com.
Contacts
Livemocha
Sara Long, 415-402-0230
sara@atomicpr.com
or
Pearson
Charles Goldsmith, +44 20 7010 2310 (London)
charles.goldsmith@pearson.com