UN Sustainable Development Goals and Pearson
Không hu thắngOur 2020 Sustainability Plan is designed to support our business and global efforts to address some of the world’s biggest challenges: lack of access to education, growing inequality, high youth unemployment, unprecedented migration and conflict, market disruption caused by technology and artificial intelligence, and pressure on our natural resources.
The good news is that the world has agreed on a plan to put us on a more sustainable path and ensure that no one is left behind. UN Member States have adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change.
Không hu thắngWe have an opportunity and a responsibility to play our part in delivering these landmark agreements. By supporting the SDGs, we will help create a better world in which our business can grow and we can more effectively achieve our mission to help people improve their lives through learning.
Không hu thắngFor Pearson, operating responsibly is an important first step to supporting progress across the SDGs. Beyond that, we have identified three SDGs where we believe we have the opportunity make the biggest impact through our business practices, products and services, programs, and partnerships.
The SDGs we focus on are closely aligned with the issues we have identified as material.
Sustainable Development Goals
We have identified 3 goals where we can have the most impact
8. Decent work and economic growth
The education goal and targets are directly aligned with Pearson’s mission, capabilities, and public commitment to expand access to quality education and improve progress for more learners.
Không hu thắngEducation is a basic human right and a driver of economic and social progress, underpinning the achievement of all 17 goals. We enable learners at all stages to have access to a quality education through our portfolio of products and services.
In the US, we are working to make higher education courseware more affordable through our Inclusive Access program and our rental program.
We launched Tomorrow's Markets Incubator in 2016 to innovate new products and services that help meet the need for access to high-quality education and learning in low-income and underserved communities.
In 2017, we launched the program, an online employee education program customized to meet each employer’s needs, enabling more people to access a quality education.
Why it’s significant to us
263 million children, adolescents, and youth are out of school
330 million children are in school but not learning
103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60% of them are women
Không hu thắngWe deliver products and services that ensure learners acquire the knowledge and capabilities they need for employment and empowerment, working in close collaboration with governments, educators, employers, and others around the world.
We also aim to provide our own employees with a healthy, fulfilling, and inclusive workplace that recognizes their contributions and provides opportunities for advancement, and we ask our suppliers to do the same.
Respecting labor rights within our business and our supply chain is emphasized in our Code of Conduct and is in line with our commitment to international standards for human rights and labor. Our Human Rights Statement (PDF | 162.96 KB).
Since 2013, we have partnered with international NGO Camfed on a project to help girls from low-income communities in ZimbabweKhông hu thắng and Tanzania stay in school, learn, and develop key skills for life and work.
Our Introduction to Sustainability digital course, developed in partnership with Everglades University, is designed to put students on the path to high-demand careers in green energy and building design.
Our Career Success Program aims to meet the needs of both colleges and employers by providing a digital suite of assessments, learning modules and tools that help students identify career goals and the gaps in their academic and career skills that they need to fill.
Why it’s significant to us
767 million people are estimated to have been living below the international poverty line of US$1.90 per person per day
197 million people are unemployed globally
600 million jobs will be needed from 2016 to 2030 to employ young people entering the workforce
Không hu thắngWe strive to develop inclusive products and services that are compatible with every learner’s needs.
Không hu thắngBy helping learners progress and prepare to enter the workforce, we reduce inequality and equip more people with the 21st century skills they need to get good jobs, improve their lives, and provide for their families.
In our interactions with employees, suppliers, customers, and communities, we promote equal opportunities for all — innovating where possible to address the specific needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups.
Không hu thắng is a joint venture between the American Council on Education (ACE) and Pearson VUE to provide students with a high school equivalency program, increasing the number of people enrolling in college and lifelong learning programs.
Our immersive learning system Revel help students overcome obstacles.
Through our Every Child Learning partnership with Save the Children, we are working to deliver high-quality education to Syrian refugees and vulnerable children in Jordan.
Why it’s significant to us
Since 1980, income inequality has risen sharply in most developed economies.
Eight men own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity.