UK’s leading learning organization QA acquires Cloud Academy

The UK’s leading B2B skills provider, QA has acquired Cloud Academy

Founded 2013, San Francisco based Cloud Academy provides enterprise e-learning platform for cloud technologies including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and the DevOps ecosystem.

QA provides more than 500 certification courses and 1500 instructor-led courses. The training areas covered are Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Cybersecurity, Project Management, DevOps, Agile Development, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and more. The acquisition of Cloud Academy will complement the existing training portfolio of QA.

Executive Opinion

Cloud Academy Chief Executive Officer, Stefano Bellasio, said, "Since day one, we have sought to create a unique solution to businesses’ training needs. We built Cloud Academy to deliver the perfect mix of the best technology and high quality training. Today we work with some of the most important brands worldwide; our technology allows them to upskill their teams on the latest cloud technology, tracking their skills and using insights to accelerate their business growth. We are excited to join QA and continue building a unique platform that combines both digital and in-classroom training."

QA's Chief Executive William Macpherson, said, "Blended learning needs the right curriculum design and technological platform as well as expert tutors and facilitators for in-person delivery. Until now, this hasn’t been possible. Bringing QA’s and Cloud Academy’s expertise together will mean a significant shift in the way corporate training is delivered. Businesses want a holistic learning experience that combines face-to-face training with a genuinely intuitive, immersive and engaging digital experience. QA is proud to bring this transformation to the skills delivery market and provide training options that are fit for today’s flexible work environment. Learning can happen while sitting on a bus, in a café, at a desk, or in a classroom – whenever and wherever suits the learner and the company."

The Brief on Cloud Academy's Acquisition

The announcement noted an industry trend where American enterprises are spending around USD $200 billion per year to reskill their employees. However, the expected results are not achieved. Cloud Academy addresses this challenge with its SaaS training platform. The platform features Training Plans, Skill Profiles, Skill Assessment, and Hands-on Lab challenges.

Cloud Academy also enables an organization to customize their courses with their content engine. This helps in addressing the training requirements of existing jobs for their workforce, notes the announcement. The cloud training company also worked with Turner, SAS, Transamerica, Cognizant, Trivago, and Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN).

QA will include Cloud Academy’s training to their massive catalog of more than 500 certification courses and 1500 instructor-led courses, says the announcement.