Skillsoft links edX courses to corporate AI skills

Skillsoft has agreed a strategic partnership with online education provider edX that will add university-developed courses from institutions such as Oxford and Harvard to Skillsoft's corporate learning platform.

The deal will see edX's catalogue, including instructor-led executive education programmes, integrated into the Skillsoft Percipio platform. The companies aim to link university-backed courses more closely with corporate skills planning and tracking as organisations respond to the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs.

Skillsoft positions itself as an AI-focused skills management provider for large employers. edX is part of 2U and aggregates online courses and programmes from universities and companies worldwide.

Expanded course access

The integration will make edX content available within the existing Skillsoft environment that many employees already use for training. The catalogue spans executive education, professional certificates, microcredentials and advanced courses in fields such as AI, cybersecurity, business leadership and management.

Leading institutions that work with 2U on edX programmes include the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School, Harvard University and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Their courses will sit alongside Skillsoft's own content and other learning resources inside Percipio.

Skillsoft said the move expands the academic and professional learning options inside its platform. It will also connect course participation more directly with the way employers identify, develop and track skills across their workforce.

"The future of work will be defined by how effectively organisations connect skills to the way work actually gets done," said Ron Hovsepian, Chief Executive Officer, Skillsoft. "Skillsoft connects learning to how skills are identified, developed, and applied across the enterprise. Our platform is designed for open ecosystems, so customers can integrate the learning, data, and tools they trust. Partnerships like edX strengthen that approach by bringing high-quality academic learning directly into an ongoing skills ecosystem that supports long-term workforce readiness."

AI reshaping jobs

Both companies are targeting employers that are reassessing job roles and skills as AI systems enter business processes. Skillsoft said many organisations lack an accurate view of existing skills and gaps, and struggle to link fragmented training activity with measurable business outcomes.

According to Skillsoft's 2025 Global Skills Intelligence Survey, 10% of HR and learning leaders surveyed said they feel fully confident their workforce has the skills required to meet business goals over the next one to two years. The company argues that this lack of confidence reflects both rapid technological change and weak connections between learning programmes and workforce planning.

The new partnership will pull edX course data into Skillsoft's skills framework. Skillsoft said this structure will allow employers to view academic and professional learning as part of a longer-term skills journey rather than a single course completion event.

"Learning delivers the most value when it stays connected to how skills are built and used across the organisation," said Matthew Glitzer, Chief Revenue Officer, Skillsoft. "By integrating edX programmes into the Skillsoft platform, customers gain access to trusted academic learning that fits into a continuous skills journey, supporting stronger adoption, improved retention, and better alignment with business priorities."

Linking learning and planning

Skillsoft plans to map edX programmes against defined skill areas and job roles inside its system. The company said this approach will allow learning teams and managers to track how specific courses develop targeted skills, and how those skills relate to role requirements and workforce strategies.

edX content will sit within what Skillsoft describes as an open ecosystem model. This model brings together internal training, external courses and data on skills usage. Employers can then apply consistent measurement across different learning sources.

The integration is intended to give companies a single view of employee progress across both Skillsoft and edX content. It will also give universities access to Skillsoft's corporate learner base as they seek new routes to working professionals.

Leading universities have expanded their online portfolios in recent years. The edX catalogue now serves millions of learners globally with short courses and longer credential programmes.

Andy Morgan, Chief Partnerships Officer at 2U, said the agreement increases the reach of university-led online education among corporate users.

"This partnership expands the reach of high-quality learning into the workplace, where it can have immediate and meaningful impact on both individuals and organisations," added Andy Morgan, Chief Partnerships Officer, 2U. "By joining forces with Skillsoft, we are making it easier for companies to access learning opportunities on edX through the Skillsoft platform, while opening the door for our university partners to reach more learners with world-class education."

Skillsoft said enterprises can begin surfacing edX courses and programmes inside Percipio as part of existing learning journeys. The companies expect the integration to inform future updates to both the structure of online programmes and the way employers design workforces for an AI-driven economy.