2023 MIGHT JUST REPRESENT A ONCE-IN-A- GENERATION OPPORTUNITY FOR THE INDUSTRY TO CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP .
EXPERT OPINION
Inclusion , education and competency specific skill sets : Solutions to the skills shortage
In an industry where the majority of employees are white , male and aging out of the workforce faster than they can be replaced , it ’ s easy to see why an infusion of diversity is a logical first step towards combatting the skills shortage . If the problem is to be addressed , however , it ’ s important to recognise that there is no single , simple solution .
Increased diversity can drastically expand the workforce , but creating the visibility , interest and cultural shift will take time . Cultivating a more diverse data centre workforce will be the challenge that makes or breaks this industry over the next decade , but educating and training a new generation of workers also requires operators to work hand-in-hand with educational institutions to raise awareness and provide tools for a new generation to break through . Establishing the necessary links with educational institutions and forming the kind of pipeline that the industry needs is a complex process and , even if it were in place tomorrow , it would be years before the first wave of new graduates entered the workforce .
Cross-training is another tactic being embraced by operators in the data centre industry as a viable way of broadening their talent pool . In this scenario , the sector can build out its workforce by leveraging the intricate knowledge of external contractors who have competency-specific skill sets . This includes heating , ventilation and cooling ( HVAC ) professionals , carpenters and construction firms with first-hand experience of working within data centre environments . Using cross-skilling to bring expert professionals into the industry is especially crucial with regards to white space engineering .
Selecting a partner with the ability to custom-engineer data centre white space to meet requirements on time , under budget and at scale , and has the skilled labour-force to do so , is paramount . Moreover , adopting a competency-specific approach can allow external partners , such as missioncritical solutions providers , to work as an extension of their customers ’ organisations , providing access to a highly-skilled workforce that ’ s 100 % focused on delivering customer success – no matter the location .
A once-in-ageneration opportunity
Championing diversity , educating the next generation , raising awareness and crossskilling are all vital ( and widely discussed ) solutions to the skills shortage . Yet all of them will take time .
There is , however , another possible solution available right now – one that might present the best short-term alleviation of the industry ’ s issues we could have hoped for and one which could create the runway necessary to make long-term changes that will lead to a sustainable , healthy future for the data centre workforce .
For the US data centre industry , the recent mass layoffs could represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recruit , cross-skill and retain tens of thousands of new staff – people with experience , relevant knowledge and fresh perspectives . clear is that with the introduction of more than 100,000 job seekers to the tech sector , the growing need for skilled staff , an aging workforce and steady demand means the time is ripe for a data centre hiring boom .
This , in addition to leveraging the competencies of other locally sourced contractors , could prove invaluable in taking meaningful action to close the skills gap . �
2023 MIGHT JUST REPRESENT A ONCE-IN-A- GENERATION OPPORTUNITY FOR THE INDUSTRY TO CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP .
Cross-training is already being embraced by some operators in the data centre industry as a viable way of broadening their talent pool . What ’ s
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