The first quarter of 2025 is already behind us. As we do every quarter, let’s take a moment to reflect on the deals that took place last quarter in the corporate training market.
Amid high economic uncertainty, it’s perhaps unsurprising that last quarter saw less activity than usual. That said, we still saw six deals across areas like strategy, workforce development, learning tech and more. We’ll continue to monitor the market throughout the year.
On a positive note, learning and development (L&D) is uniquely positioned to help organizations navigate uncertainty, ensuring the business has the skills it needs to stay competitive in a volatile market. In addition, Training Industry market research anticipates that the external training market, focused on sourced training solutions, will continue to grow over the next five years.
Here are the deals we took note of last quarter, organized by industry sector:
Strategy
The strategy sector saw one deal last quarter, which highlighted the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven skills development solutions.
- Workera, an AI-powered skills intelligence platform, announced a strategic investment from Accenture (NYSE: ACN). According to the press release, “The partnership comes at a pivotal time. Accenture research reveals that 61% of workers worldwide will require retraining by 2027. While 94% of employees express readiness to learn new skills, only 5% of organizations are effectively reskilling their workforce at scale.”
Leadership Training
The leadership training sector also saw one deal:
- BTS Group, a global consultancy specializing in strategy execution, change and people development, announced the acquisition of Sounding Board, a technology-based leader in scalable, high-impact coaching solutions driving transformational leadership development. In a Training Industry Magazine column, Katrin Mulford, senior vice president and partner, global head of coaching at BTS, shares, “Sounding Board has this elegant tech that actually allows for scale.” It “became the perfect partner for us.”
Learning Tech
In the learning tech sector:
- Warburg Pincus LLC has acquired an additional 118,550 common shares of Docebo Inc. for approximately $5.4 million CAD (or $3.7 million USD), at a price of $45.59 CAD per share. This brings Warburg’s total ownership to 3,630,715 shares, or about 12.01% of Docebo’s outstanding common shares, up from 11.62% before the purchase.
Workforce Development
In the workforce development sector:
- PSG, a growth equity firm that specializes in partnering with software and technology-enabled service companies, announced a strategic growth investment in CourseKey, a student success platform purpose-built for vocational education.
Content Development
The content development sector saw one deal last quarter, focused on custom content development:
- Auspicious, a creative services group, announced the acquisition of DBLX, a digital custom content and platform business, as the company targets growth in the learning and human resources (HR) market. The press release also shared that Rob Ashcroft joined Auspicious as chief learning officer, where he will help DBLX build out its learning consultancy, transformation and employee experience offering.
Measurement and Analytics
The measurement and analytics sector also saw a deal last quarter:
- Leeds Equity Partners (“Leeds Equity”) acquired Learnosity Holdings Ltd. (“Learnosity”), an assessment software solutions provider. In the press release, David Neverson, managing director at Leeds Equity, says, “The digital assessment landscape is rapidly evolving to address new and diverse learning, skills measurement, and accessibility needs. Learnosity’s leading assessment technology enables organizations to meet the demands of modern education and training, providing learners with improved instruction and access.”
Let us know: What are your market predictions for the rest of this year? Share your predictions and thoughts by tagging Training Industry on social media or by emailing editor@trainingindustry.com.
