Databricks Launches Global University Engagement Program to Help Train the Next Generation of Data Scientists

Databricks University Alliance Gives Students Access to Free, Cutting-edge Data Science and Machine Learning Tools

Databricks, the data and AI company, today announced the Databricks University Alliance, a global program to help university students get hands-on experience using Databricks for both in-person learning and in virtual classrooms. The program, available at no cost to institutions of higher education, aims to expose students to the online tools and cloud platforms that enable highly scalable data science and machine learning, allowing them to gain critical knowledge and experience needed to drive innovation as they join data teams across the global workforce.

“At Databricks, our mission to help data teams solve the world’s toughest problems extends far beyond the present. We are committed to driving the next generation of business innovation through machine learning and AI,” said Matei Zaharia, chief technologist at Databricks and assistant professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. “Our goal with this program is to continue to help build the capacity of qualified and prepared data scientists, engineers, and analysts who can work with industry-scale data sets on public cloud environments.”

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As data analytics continues to explode and the technology used to find value from that data advances further each year, the demand for data scientists, engineers and analysts will accelerate. Over the last five years, Google searches for Data Science have quadrupled, and Glassdoor has ranked Data Science as one of the top ten Best Jobs in America every year since 2015. Because the demand is so high, it’s crucial for students to graduate with the skills needed to successfully join this increasingly competitive industry.

Through partnerships with Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, the Databricks University Alliance helps increase the pipeline of students trained on the cutting-edge of data analytics. By giving students access to tutorials, content and training materials on open source tools, including Apache Spark, Delta Lake and MLflow, companies benefit from having a more competent pool of data science and machine learning professionals that they can hire in the marketplace. Equally, universities benefit from deeper access to online tools, materials and cloud resources, especially as they shift from in person to virtual instruction.

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“We work hard to prepare our students for success in an extremely competitive and skilled workforce that awaits them following graduation,” said Kyle Hamilton, professor and coordinator of the Machine Learning at Scale course at UC Berkeley. “Having access to industry-leading tools and programs provided by Databricks, a company that continues to drive innovation across the data science and machine learning community, is very exciting for our professors, students and university.”

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