EXPERT OPINION
curiosity to want to turn that into their
career. And where do they go to get advice?
Steve Bowes-Phipps, Senior Data
Centre Consultant, PTS Consulting and
Chair DCA Workforce Development and
Capability SIG
to 10 years and this leaves a massive
hole of expertise and experience to fill.
Encouraging our youth to make the data
centre a career of choice is therefore
fundamental to our technological future,
but only when combined with a strategy
to prepare these new incumbents for a
future that embraces an holistic digital
infrastructure and not solely plant,
equipment or IT systems.
We are told that today’s millennials are
IT-literate ‘out of the box’ but this is a
generalisation that rarely stacks up in
reality – yes, youngsters seem very at
home using technology in their everyday
lives, but it takes a special kind of technical
42
Issue 10
Teachers are very unlikely to understand
the opportunities available in the data
centre sector. The same is true of
lecturers, career advisors, job centre staff,
etc. The British Computer Society (BCS)
appears to regard the data centre sector
as only minimally related to IT – greater
credence comes from the Institute of
Engineering and Technology (IET). We
have struggled to get the BCS to take us
seriously despite having a Data Centre
Specialist Group within it that has been
active for over 10 years.
I chair the Workforce Development
Group for the Data Centre Alliance (DCA).
This is a voluntary group that explores
how we can educate and signpost to
interested others, how to identify ways of
recruiting people of all levels, all ages and
genders who may have the appropriate
aptitude and attitude to work in a critical
infrastructure environment.
Also, young people need to understand
what career choices they can make for
their own development, including access
to development and training appropriate
to this sector. I welcome others who wish
to contribute to this discussion.
contribute to the discussion, please look
out for the next meeting this year on the
DCA website. ◊
YOUNG PEOPLE
NEED TO
UNDERSTAND
WHAT CAREER
CHOICES THEY
CAN MAKE FOR
THEIR OWN
DEVELOPMENT,
INCLUDING ACCESS
TO DEVELOPMENT
AND TRAINING
APPROPRIATE TO
THIS SECTOR.
Our SIG meetings are open to all, so if
you feel you have something you can
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