Critical Environments for Data Center Operations

Projections show that the data center industry will grow 10% per year through 2030, with global spending on the construction of new facilities approaching $49 billion. The need for data centers is fueling an unparalleled demand for a skilled technically adaptable workforce capable of operating and maintaining these highly technical facilities. The goal of this project is to create educational pathways designed to provide students with the technical skills, competencies, and hands-on experiences required for successful employment in the data center industry. Students will develop marketable skills allowing them to secure gainful employment in the data center industry addressing a skilled labor shortage in the region. The resulting educational model will be designed so that it can be replicated by secondary schools and colleges across the country. The project team will work with industry and K-12 representatives in an advisory capacity to provide guidance and resources. The curriculum will allow students to learn from multiple technical disciplines including HVAC systems, electricity, backup generators, automatic controls, security, fire alarms, and energy management. This project will address current and future data center education by developing new technical courses related to data center facilities. The results of this project will be shared with other community colleges in the country via conferences, web-based curriculum and supporting resources. Project evaluation will include formative and summative inquiries that will provide feedback to inform continuous improvement. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.