March 17 2026 | Deals | Due diligence and dealmaking | Mergers and acquisitions
Key Takeaways: 2026 UK Education & Skills M&A Trends
- Structural Resilience in the Skills Sector: Despite macroeconomic uncertainty, M&A valuations in the UK skills and training sector remain robust, driven by strong demand for workforce transition programs and certified skills.
- The EdTech Pipeline for 2026: AI-enabled learning ecosystems and founder-owned training businesses are reaching maturity, attracting significant private equity and cross-border interest for consolidation.
- Navigating Regulatory Risks: For investors and advisors in the education space, understanding government policy and funding mechanisms is central to the investment thesis, as these remain the biggest swing factors.
- Authenticity as a Deal Differentiator: Emotional intelligence, transparency, and collaboration are critical components of successful transactions. As Victoria notes, these are not just soft skills—they are essential deal skills that mitigate transaction fatigue and drive outcomes.
“I was drawn to how life-changing our advice can be for owner-managers and entrepreneurs when realising their life’s work.”
For Victoria, the path into M&A was not accidental. It was a 12-month university placement, an early window into a world where analytical rigour meets real-world consequence, that ignited what she calls the “deal bug.” It has never left her. Now a Partner in M&A Advisory specialising in the UK education, skills and training sectors, her career has been built within one firm, from graduate trainee to the partnership. “The combination of analytical challenge, real-world impact and the fast pace of advisory work means no day is the same,” she says.
What has particularly shaped her practice is the nature of the clients she advises: owner-managers and entrepreneurs for whom a transaction is not simply a financial event, but the culmination of a lifetime’s work.
The skills sector: resilient by design
Within the UK M&A market, Victoria is watching the skills and training sector closely, and with good reason. “Valuations have held up well, and appetite from both strategic and private capital remains strong,” she says. The sector’s structural demand, underpinned by workforce transition and the growing premium on certified skills, has given it a resilience that other markets have lacked in a period of macroeconomic uncertainty.
That said, Victoria is clear-eyed about the risks. “Government policy and funding mechanisms remain the biggest swing factors,” she notes. For advisers and investors operating in this space, understanding the regulatory landscape is not optional, it is central to the thesis. Alongside policy, she is watching the rapid integration of AI into education and training. “It’s already influencing buyer strategies, diligence processes and valuation discussions,” she says. The way content is delivered, assessments are designed and learning is made accessible are all being reshaped, and the M&A market is responding in kind.
Pipeline ready to move in 2026
Victoria is optimistic about the year ahead. She identifies AI-enabled learning ecosystems as one of the most compelling opportunities, alongside increasing sophistication in certification and assessment for mandatory skills. Businesses supporting workforce transitions into future-skills roles are also attracting serious interest.
“There is a growing pipeline of founder-owned training and edtech businesses reaching a stage of maturity where M&A becomes a natural evolution,” she explains, “with private equity being a critical component to underpin investment, innovation and growth.” Cross-border interest, she adds, is accelerating, creating new partnership and consolidation opportunities. For those with deep sector expertise, the timing feels compelling.
Authenticity as a differentiator
Being a woman in dealmaking, for Victoria, carries a specific weight: representation, resilience and responsibility. “I’ve worked hard to build a career in a space that historically lacked diversity, it still has a way to go,” she says. But rather than diluting her approach, she has leaned into what makes her distinct. “My authenticity hasn’t been a barrier. It’s been a differentiator.”
That people-centric philosophy runs through everything she does. “I prioritise collaboration, transparency and emotional intelligence,” she says. “These qualities contribute directly to better outcomes and more sustainable relationships.”
She has seen the landscape shift meaningfully during her career. More women are visible in senior roles. Careers in M&A can now be built with greater flexibility. And crucially, there is a growing recognition that inclusive behaviours are core to leadership, not a peripheral addition. The most significant driver, in her view, has been access to peers. “I was lucky to have a female M&A partner to learn from from the very start,” she says. “Seeing daily what good looks like, that shapes you. We need more examples of that.”
“They’re not soft skills, they’re deal skills.”
Paying it forward
Mentorship has been fundamental to Victoria’s trajectory, and she is deliberate about paying that forward. As a leader, her philosophy is anchored in empowerment, accountability and clarity. “I aim to create an environment where people feel trusted, supported and challenged,” she says. “Influence comes not just from expertise, but from showing up consistently, communicating openly and modelling the behaviours you expect in others.”
Advocacy has also been essential, both for herself and for those around her. “Advocating for others builds a stronger team culture and ultimately a better business,” she says. “In M&A, if you don’t have a strong team around you, deal risk and fatigue can creep in very quickly.”
For women earlier in their careers, her advice is direct: be curious, be visible and back yourself. Networks are critical in M&A, not a nice-to-have, but the foundation of a book of business. And for those tempted to wait until they feel fully established: “Trust that your voice has value even before you feel fully established. That’s the one thing I’d tell my younger self.” END.
The Ansarada 2026 Global Women In Dealmaking Report delivers the perspectives of 20 of the world's leading women in dealmaking – industry leaders who have steered transactions through volatile cycles, driven change, and helped set the pace for the sector. Download the full report.
2026 M&A Outlook Report
FAQs
Q: What are the key M&A trends in the UK education sector for 2026?
A: Valuations in the UK skills and training sector remain resilient despite macroeconomic uncertainty. The primary M&A drivers for 2026 include strong structural demand for certified skills, workforce transition programs, and the rapid integration of AI-enabled learning ecosystems.
Q: How is AI impacting EdTech M&A and valuations?
A: Artificial Intelligence is actively reshaping buyer strategies, due diligence processes, and valuation discussions in EdTech M&A. Investors are highly focused on how AI changes content delivery, assessment design, and learning accessibility.
Q: Why is private equity targeting the UK training and skills market?
A: There is a growing pipeline of founder-owned training and EdTech businesses reaching maturity. Private equity is stepping in to provide the critical capital needed to underpin investment, drive innovation, and facilitate cross-border consolidation.
Q: What skills are most important for M&A advisors and dealmakers?
A: While analytical rigor is foundational, successful dealmaking requires high emotional intelligence, transparency, and collaboration. These are not just soft skills—they are essential "deal skills" that mitigate transaction fatigue and build sustainable trust with owner-managers.
