Pearson Education acquires DDC Publishing; Co. gives outlook.

Pearson Education (Upper Saddle River, NJ), a unit of Pearson plc. (London), has acquried DDC Publishing (New York), a provider of software training titles to the high school and post secondary market. No terms were given.

DDC's offers computer textbooks and more than 400 software and computer training products for the high school, college, corporate, government and home-user markets. The products are authored by educators and computer training professionals on such topics as computer applications, Internet skills, graphics and Web design, programming, networking, and certification for a range of learning skills. Ancillary products include application-based assessment tests for software skills.

Pearson said the purchase "accelerates" its entry into the software training market and nearly doubles the company's product offerings. Pearson Education is currently a major publisher in the higher education and professional IT market with such imprints as SAMS, Cisco Press, Adobe Press, Addison-Wesley and New Riders.

In related news, Pearson plc. said that the "prospects of a significant recovery in adjusted earnings per share this year continue to be good." The company said its US school publishing operations are performing within expectations, with the school software market "sluggish" and testing and assessment units expanding. Advertising revenues for the Financial Times group are down "significantly, but in line with expectations."