Hadoop distribution maker Cloudera has been fleshing out its big data education program for quite some time now – its own contribution to this rapidly growing ecosystem, which is being held back by a serious shortage in the people who can put all the different parts together. In October last year the company’s data scientist courses were consolidated under a new, formal title, and one of Josh Wills’s latest keynotes at an eHarmony session provides a good example of where the Cloudera University is standing today.

During the session, which can be found here, Willis covered the basics of analytics and how technologies such as Hadoop are being used today. He’s been with Cloudera for 7 months as its director of data science, and has been working in this area throughout his entire career.

Wills’ presentation had a rather nice flow to it: first looking into machine learning, such as Google’s work with keywords, and then discussing how that ties in with the actual advantages of predictive accuracy in marketing and social media. He elaborated on the process through which raw data transforms into insight, and expanded on this point by moving into the specifics throughout the course.

Cloudera is one of several companies that are giving back to the booming big data ecosystem. IBM is also addressing the growing demand for data scientists via initiatives of its own, such as their Big Data University and several other side projects. A lot of this attention is being directed at partners, with prime examples including Cloudera’s own free partner pack and another recently unveiled by HortonWorks. While the name may not be particularly original, the HortonWorks University is a significant milestone and a big addition overall.

Similar interest in education has been expressed in other industries as well. Cisco is a prime example, with its recent launch in Rio.