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Pearson ties up with Mentorix for e-learning outsourcing

BS Corporate Bureau

The UK-based media giant Pearson Plc is relocating its entire content creation and development for its e-learning business operations to India from the US, Mike Morache, president of Pearson Education Technologies, the e-learning business arm, said on Monday.

“These operations are presently conducted out of the US but are in the process of being shifted to India not only due to the cost advantage but also due to quality considerations,” said Morache.

Pearson has roped in Mentorix Learning Technologies to set up an exclusively dedicated software development centre in Mumbai which would develop new technology-based solutions as well as update and maintain Pearson’s existing portfolio of products in curriculum, assessment and enterprise data management systems.

The development centre would have a manpower strength of around 200, which would be subsequently scaled up as per requirements.

Incidentally, Pearson has already downsized its development operations at its headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, in the US.

These operations were conducted in-house by the company itself and consisted of around 300 people but is now down to around 40, said Morache.

The company has also dealt with most of the migration issues involved in the process, said Morache.

“In terms of cost, operating out of India would cost us about a third of what it costs us in the US. However, Mentorix, to whom we have outsourced these operations, has a much higher competency level with high quality management processes which ensure that projects are delivered according to specifications and within time and budgets,” he added.

The outsourcing deal with Mentorix is a three-year deal valued at around $20 million but which is scalable upwards, said Maurice Haeems, president and chief executive officer, Mentorix Learning Technologies.

Pearson Education Technologies, a leader in the e-learning space, has more than 40 years of experience in developing, delivering and supporting curriculum assessment and enterprise data management products.

More than 50,000 schools internationally have used its products and it has a reach of more than 10 million students annually.

The company owns brands such as Prentice Hall, Longman, Scott Foresman, Addison Wesley among others.

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