Measuring our progress
Pearson is a great place to work, grow, and invest in your future, and we’re proud of the recognition we’ve received.
In the UK, we were awarded a Big Tick in the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index; and our diversity summer internship programme won the 2011 Race for Opportunity Chairman's Award for innovation in the ‘Attraction and Recruitment’ category. The internship programme has also been recognized in the National Placement Internship Awards for offering the best Diversity in Work Experience.
We won the Race for Opportunity Gold Award for participation, and we have also been awarded the Opportunity Now FTSE Executive Women Award for employing the most female executives, as listed in the Female FTSE 100 index in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
In August 2009, we came top of a survey by the Observer and the Co-operative Asset Management on gender balance and diversity in the boardroom. In the US, we received a Special Recognition Award from AHEAD, (Association on Higher Education and Disability).
In the US, Pearson is listed as a top company for GLBT staff by the Corporate Eqality Index, prepared by the Human Rights Campaign. Additionally, Pearson has been named a Top Place to Work for Working Mothers by Working Mother Media, and one of the 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in the country by the Dave Thomas Foundation. Pearson was named the 2011 Special Services Corporation of the Year by the Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council for its achievement in the area of Supplier Diversity.
Supplier diversity (US)
A leader in educational assessments, Pearson is committed to partnering with diverse suppliers to support communities in which we do business and help our customers to meet their regulatory objectives. At Pearson, we strive to be a socially responsible company impacting the communities in which we work and live in a positive way.
Our commitment
In the US, we have an established supplier diversity team who has been working on increasing our base of diverse suppliers. Pearson is committed to establishing sustainable business relationships with a wide pool of certified minority- and women-owned businesses, thereby enabling Pearson to build a supplier base more reflective of its diverse customers, employees and community at large. Increasing diversity among suppliers creates a competitive advantage for our company in the US markets it serves.
What we look for in diverse suppliers
Who qualifies as a diverse supplier
Pearson accepts third-party diverse certifications from qualified state agencies. Please visit your local state certification agency for specific information regarding diverse supplier qualifications. To locate your certifying agency, please visit the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Mentor-Protégé Program
Pearson launched its Mentor-Protégé Program in 2008. The goal of our Mentor-Protégé Program is to develop these companies, in order to increase their capability to bid successfully on larger contracts with Pearson, as well as contract opportunities with other corporations and state agencies. This program seeks to improve the protégé’ companies as a whole, by giving them access to strategic Pearson resources, tools and employees to help grow their businesses.
Objectives of this program include:
- Expand Pearson business opportunities through protégé relationships
- Develop protégés for future opportunities
- Assist protégés with market expansion
- Increase Pearson subcontracts to protégé companies, and therefore, increase Pearson’s diverse spend
Supplier diversity memberships & affiliations
Pearson is a member of and actively participates in several diversity organizations in support of growth and development of its diverse suppliers. Over the past few years, Pearson has increased its involvement in local community events by participating in several tradeshow expositions and other activities hosted by the following membership organizations:
- Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council (SMSDC)
- Maryland / District of Columbia Minority Supplier Development Council (MD/DC MSDC)
- Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce (GAHCC)
- Capital City African American Chamber of Commerce (CCAACC)
- Austin Chamber of Commerce (ACC)
Capacity Building Program
Building capacity among diverse firms is another important part of Pearson’s diversity business strategy. On February 14, 2012, Pearson collaborated with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) and the Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council (SMSDC) and launched “Project Build.”
“Project Build” was created to better prepare diverse companies on how to do business with the state of Texas, in order to ensure increased participation in the State's procurement process and establish trust in potential working relationships with prime contractors
“Project Build” participating nominees were selected based on recommendations from state agencies and prime contractors. The curriculum was presented in seven weekly sessions consisting of modules ranging from Business 5001 (Marketing/Business Analysis) to Doing Business with the State and Private Sector.
“Cognitive Technologies is gratified by the support Texas shows for small, disadvantaged, woman-owned, and minority-owned businesses. We are extremely proud to have been invited to join the first class for Project Build, and we applaud the organizations and individuals that committed their time to prepare and host this important program,” said Dr. Karen McGraw, CEO, and one of the twelve participating companies.
The affirmative results realized in the pilot program drove the team to leverage the workshop series across the state of Texas, growing the program and outreach efforts to diverse companies in other major Texas cities such as Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Awards & Recognitions
Pearson was chosen as the 2011 “Special Services Corporation of the Year,” an honor bestowed by the Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council (SMSDC) for its outstanding achievement in supplier diversity.
How to engage Pearson
After determining how your business can align with Pearson’s strategic objectives, we encourage you to create a detailed online profile of your business through our Supplier Registration portal: Vendor Relationship Management System. This application assists our Global Sourcing team with identifying potential suppliers.
Secondary contact can be made by emailing your state and local diverse (M/WBE, SBE, DBE, etc.) certifications, soft copy brochures, reports or product literatures, which describe your company's products and services to the Supplier Diversity Team at SupplierDiversity@pearson.com.
