Acquisition of ICS Learn by Skill & You
Paris (France), 22nd March 2022 – Skill & You acquires the online training platform ICS Learn from Primary Capital Partners.
ICS Learn is a British group founded more than 130 years ago offering 100% online training for students and professionals. The group covers many sectors such as human resources, accounting, leadership, marketing, and management.
ICS Learn’s trainings have received the most prestigious British professional certifications from renowned certification bodies such as CIPD and AAT, as well as academic certifications such as A-Levels, GCSE and iGCSE.
This acquisition will allow Skill & You to strengthen its presence in the European e-learning market. The management team will remain unchanged.
Eric Petco and Sonia-Levy Odier, Managing Directors of Skill & You, said: “We are very pleased to welcome ICS Learn to the Skill & You team and are excited to see what our combination will bring. Acquiring the Business is the natural next step for us as it will help us to realize our ambitious growth plans and enable entry into the UK market. We have been very impressed with ICS Learn’s growth to date and look forward to the years ahead.”
The Financière de Courcelles Education team is delighted to have advised Skill & You in this new step of its international development, this transaction allows the group to comfort its European leadership in Digital Learning.
This transaction illustrates the Financière de Courcelles expertise in conducting cross-border deals and reinforces its leadership as M&A advisor in the Digital Learning segment.
About Skill & You
Generating more than €150m in sales, Skill and You is a vocational e-learning provider with 150,000 students and 1,000 employees and has established itself as a market leader in France and Spain. The Group’s unrivalled portfolio of more than 220 courses largely leads to state diplomas and covers a wide range of professional fields (Healthcare, Childcare, Animal Health, IT & Digital, Accounting and Administration, Public Service, and Construction, amongst others).
About IK Partners
IK Partners (“IK”) is a European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €14 billion of capital and invested in over 160 European companies. IK supports companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects.
About ICS Learn
ICS Learn is a leading online professional education platform offering learners flexible courses, accredited by industry-leading awarding bodies including CIPD, the gold-standard globally recognised Human Resources qualification, and AAT for finance professionals. The Business serves more than 25,000 students annually across over 100 countries. Training is delivered digitally, across B2B and B2C markets.
About Primary Capital Partners
Primary is an independent private equity firm which invests in middle-market management buy-outs and buy-ins in the UK. With offices in London and Manchester, Primary works closely with management teams to develop their business by providing long-term financial resources and strategic support over a three to seven year period.
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