INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE POWERED BY THE DCA

The skills shortage across the data centre space has long been considered one of the biggest challenges for the industry . Adelle Desouza – DCA Advisory Board and Founder HireHigher , offers her best practice advice for taking action to close the skills gap , whilst introducing The Rising Stars

Programme of which The DCA is a supporting force .

Firstly , I question whether we actually like being a ‘ well-kept secret ’ at an exclusive ‘ invite only ’ party – and whether this boosts our ego ? Or is it the fact that the ‘ old boys network ’ helps to keep our jobs safe ? It ’ s ok to explore this angle , because of course , there is the downside to exposing our industry to the masses . Simple supply and demand economics – maybe it ’ s the fear that with so much talent we will be questioned , compared or worst of all ousted . The cost of living is no joke and while we must help those who seek to get on the ladder , we know and read things like , ‘ In mature data centre markets , such as North America and Western Europe , much of the existing workforce is aging and many professionals expect to retire around the same time , leaving data centres with a shortfall on both headcount and experience ’. Is it really something we can add to our plate ? Our small pool of talent keeps salaries high for those of us who made the right choice all those years ago . We have mortgages to pay , mouths to feed and a career to protect , so on this occasion perhaps a call to arms to fight the war for talent is just one that suits us or our individual needs .

Alternatively , does it fall to the inherent fact that quite frankly it ’ s the role of the HR teams – each of us ‘ like ’, ‘ comment ’ and ‘ share ’ what we choose to on socials but really it comes down to the people and talent team . What will happen when you need to recruit in your own team ? Many employers are not drafting a job description with realistic expectations , whether it ’ s multiple years of experience required for entry-level roles , or at times arbitrary inclusions i . e ., ‘ Degree preferred ’. Our unconscious biases creep in when we draft job descriptions and there is no doubt that our talent teams know better , so if it ’ s solely their role to find a solution to the talent shortage then why do we simultaneously reject their feedback when they tell us the market has changed ? We must amend our expectations when it comes to recruitment . In fact , in the recent Uptime Institute report on the global data centre market , it stated : ‘ The most successful employers in the sector take multiple steps to attract and retain top talent , including revisiting advertised job requirements , implementing training and mentoring programmes and ensuring adequate diversity efforts ’. www . intelligentdatacentres . com

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