LDC reportedly looking to sell Sheffield’s training provider Learndirect

Learndirect, the Sheffield-headquartered vocational training provider, is reportedly being put up for sale by the private equity firm Lloyds Development Capital.

According toSky News, KPMG have been hired to manage the sale process for Learndirect, just weeks after one of the training provider’s core divisions was bought by the FTSE-100 education group Pearson.

Pearson acquired Learndirect’s e-assessments unit, which includes the contract to administer the UK’s national citizenship test among its biggest assets.

In 2011, LDC purchased Learndirect as part of the acquisition of parent company Ufi Limited from the Ufi Charitable Trust (UCT).

UCT, a registered charity, was established in 1998 to use new technology to transform the delivery of learning and skills. Spearheaded by the Labour government elected in 1997, Learndirect was then launched in 2000.

The other areas of Learndirect’s business focuses on apprenticeships and adult skills provision, has remained under LDC’s ownership and will attract interest from other trade and financial bidders.