Pearson Reports Good H1 2026 Performance With Revenue Up 4% To £1.779B, Adjusted Operating Profit Up 14% To £276M, Adjusted EPS Up 18% To 28.9p, And Reiterates Full Year 2026 Guidance

World Champions Crowned at Pearson’s Certiport 2026 Microsoft Office Specialist Competition

Pearson announced the winners of the 24th annual Certiport Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship held in Anaheim, California. The competition featured 135 finalists ages 13-22 from 36 countries competing in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint certifications across Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019 categories. The championship highlights the importance of digital skills certifications in preparing students for academic and career success in an AI-driven economy.

Pearson Names Certiport 2026 Adobe Certified Professional World Champion

Pearson announced the winners of the 13th annual Certiport Adobe Certified Professional World Championship, held in Anaheim, CA, with 56 finalists from 27 countries competing. The competition showcases students aged 13-22 who have earned Adobe certifications in Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign. Lulu Emanuele from the USA won first place. According to Pearson, 75% of hiring managers value professional certifications for creative positions, highlighting the importance of early credential achievement for career advancement.

Pearson shares are trading lower after JP Morgan downgraded its rating on the stock from Overweight to Neutral.