Hello Learning Partners,
Microsoft remains committed to helping our Learning Partners provide the best-in-class training experiences and optimize for positive learner impact. Over the past year, we have changed the services that are supported by Courseware Marketplace and Skillpipe including the transition of courseware to Microsoft Learn, converting courses to a labs experience hosted by our Authorized Lab Hosters (ALHs) and Azure Pass removal from Courseware Marketplace.
As a result of these changes, and as we continue to evolve the ecosystem, today we are announcing that Courseware Marketplace and Skillpipe will be retiring.
Effective July 1, 2023
, Learning Partners should expect the following changes:
-
Courseware Marketplace:
Courseware Marketplace will stop its sales operations for ALL products.
-
Certifications:
Learning Partners will begin purchasing exam vouchers and practice tests via the Pearson VUE Partner Store. Beginning June 1, 2023, Learning Partners will need to register with Pearson for account setup for future purchases (
see
Pearson VUE Partner Store FAQ
).
-
Practice Assessments:
As previously announced in the
Learning Partner community call in January
, Learning Partners can now take advantage of
Practice Assessments
on Microsoft Learn. Practice assessments are the newest free exam preparation resource and allow learners to ensure they are better prepared for their certification exams.
-
Labs:
Learning Partners will purchase labs for ILT Courses from Authorized Lab Hosters (ALHs). Learning Partners should begin the process of partnering with an ALH to purchase and access the permitted labs. (
See
Lab and Azure FAQ
).
-
Skillpipe: Per the license agreement and as previously announced in 2022,
Microsoft Official Course content will no longer be accessible from users’ bookshelves on Skillpipe. Users will be redirected to Microsoft Learn for corresponding active courses. Retired courses are no longer available, see course retirement page
HERE
.
Next steps for Learning Partners:
We have created Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents to provide information on the retirement of Courseware Marketplace and Skillpipe and to help you get started for engagement with Pearson and the ALH’s. Please review the resources provided below for Pearson account setup or how to reach out to an ALH should you not already have an active partnership.
Thank you for your partnership.
