Pluralsight, a Draper-based technology-driven workforce development company, has acquired Next Tech, a San Diego provider of cloud-based computing environments, enabling the authoring and hosting of labs in software development, data science and machine learning.

“Digital transformation is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘need to have,’” said Aaron Skonnard, co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight. “For large enterprises to successfully navigate their own digital transformations, they have to invest in the skills of their team and hands-on skill development can be a powerful tool in delivering a faster path to upskilling and reskilling. There’s no question hands-on skill development can make a big impact on results and the acquisition of Next Tech enables us to offer a more comprehensive solution by combining video content from our expert authors with complementary hands-on experiences. Next Tech is a powerful addition to strengthen our value proposition with our customers by providing an all-in-one offering and we are excited to welcome them to the team.”

The acquisition of Next Tech enables Pluralsight to strengthen its technology skills platform for customers by integrating hands-on experiences directly into existing content from its network of world-renowned technology experts, the company said.

“I’m proud of what we have built at Next Tech and all of the opportunities we have created for learners over the past six years,” said Saul Costa, founder of Next Tech. “What started out as an auto-grading tool for a former professor has developed into a full platform for immersive, hands-on skill development. I’m incredibly excited to join Pluralsight to bring hands-on experiences and accelerate the path to developing tech skills for large enterprises around the world.”

Founded in 2004, Pluralsight was recently purchased by Vista Equity Partners. The company employs about 1,100 in its operations.