EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
SARAH PARKS , DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS , CNET TRAINING
n my role as Director
I of Marketing and Communications with CNet Training , it is quite evident that the skills gap is one of the most pressing , if not frustrating , topics in the industry .
We are all aware that the skills shortage is not a new thing , as job vacancies across the digital infrastructure industry continue to be sky-high – fuelled more recently by the pandemic with even more demand for mission critical services .
With not enough people with the right skills and knowledge for the available jobs , the old and important adage of ‘ actions speak louder than words ’ needs to be emphasised . We all need to take action to tackle the shortage and what better way than to all do it together , in collaboration . We must forget about the business side of things and pull together to promote the entire industry and start initiatives that will strengthen the message to wider audiences . If people know about data centres , they may be interested in working in them too .
The University Technical College ( UTC ) Heathrow is a perfect example of collaboration to help future-proof the industry and is something that can be rolled out nationally and internationally , with the right contacts . Working alongside seven other partners ( CBRE , Yondr , Ark Data Centres , LMG , Virtus Data Centres and AWS ), CNet Training has helped to launch the very first UTC dedicated to the digital infrastructure industry . Through the ‘ Digital Futures Programme ’ – a curriculum jam-packed with everything data centres and much more – it will help to future-proof the industry by inspiring a new generation to learn about it , join it and enjoy a rewarding career .
Aimed at 14 – 19-year-olds , UTC Heathrow aims to give students the best possible start to a career within the digital infrastructure industry .
Students gain the essential knowledge and skills needed to thrive in technical careers within the data centre sector . At the end of the programme there will be around 150 new entrants to the industry , all with knowledge of data centres , which is an amazing start .
The programme is just about to finish year one and has already commanded considerable attention within the industry and has won a prestigious industry award . And while that is a remarkable achievement and we , along with the other UTC partners , are delighted to see our efforts recognised , this is only the first step
WE ALL NEED TO TAKE ACTION TO TACKLE THE SHORTAGE AND WHAT BETTER WAY THAN TO ALL DO IT TOGETHER , IN COLLABORATION .
towards tackling the skills shortage . The path is still rather long , but with more UTCs and therefore more focus on the younger generation , as well as more synergy from within the industry far and wide , it will certainly start to make a difference .
Allied to this is the often-natural aversion from many companies to professionally train and educate their employees . Rather than seek new people , educate the ones you have , this will certainly address the skills gap . www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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