MapR Expands Free On-Demand Hadoop and Spark Training as Participants Surpass 50,000

MapR Technologies announced that over 50,000 developers, analysts and administrators have enrolled in the free MapR On-Demand Training program, which offers online courses on Hadoop, Spark, and other big data technologies. Benefiting from new classes added monthly, students and professionals have a powerful and convenient way to develop essential big data skills.

According to Nick Heudecker and Lisa Kart, research directors, Gartner Inc., “As more organizations invest in big data, the shortage of available skills and capabilities will become more acute. Instead of facing a difficult recruiting market, organizations should focus on adapting available skills and engaging with established service providers to fill the skills gap.”

Enrollees of the MapR On-Demand Training program reside in over 150 countries, representing North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa.  Users range from developers, administrators, and data analysts in both small organizations and large enterprises to those in consulting agencies and large system integrators.

“When we launched these free on-demand courses, we set an ambitious enrollment goal of 10,000 students, which is estimated to be a $50 million in-kind contribution to the open source community,” said Suzanne Ferry, vice president of global education and training, MapR Technologies. “With a response fives times over original projections, the On-Demand Training offerings are updated continually to address new technologies, like Spark, which in turn helps meet the ongoing skill development interests of company employees, industry consultants, and individuals. Our comprehensive online curriculum is driving the emergence of a strong community in support of the latest advancements in big data technologies.”

Coursework includes the same level of depth and content as instructor-led training, with hands-on exercises, labs and quizzes that ensure an engaging and interactive experience for data professionals. The program also offers certification exams for different audiences, leading to certified Hadoop and HBase professional designations for developers, data analysts and administrators.