Thomson’s Career and Education Business Goes for $7.75 billion.

Sold: The Thomson Corp. has agreed to sell the careers, higher education and library reference assets of its Thomson Learning to funds advised by Apax Partners and OMERS Capital Partners for $7.75 billion in cash. The assets being sold include the brands and businesses of Wadsworth, Delmar Learning, Gale, Heinle, Brooks/Cole and South-Western. Part of the deal includes the acquisition of Nelson Canada, an online provider of educational resources in Canada, by OMERS.

The sale of Stamford, Connecticut.-based Thomson’s education assets is a strategy to better align itself with its business model and growth plans. In October, Thomson formally put its learning businesses up for sale. This transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, pending regulatory approvals and fulfillment of closing conditions.