> eBook

>> Developing the

mission critical
workforce
Inspiring, training and retaining the
next generation of tech talent
>> Contents

4 Introduction

5 Chapter one: The skills challenge

6 The skills shortage: Looking from the inside

out
6
8 DCPro>Talks Recruitment with Andy Davis,
DataX Connect

9 Building the metaverse

12 DCD>Talks Transferable skills with Stephen

Beard, Knight Frank

13 Chapter two: Future-proofing the

workforce

14 Breaking into the data center industry

9 16
16 The Big Quit: Future-proofing the data center
workforce
23
19 Q&A with BGIS

21 How can skills development and training

enable the DC workforce of the future?

22 Chapter three: Data center diversity

23 Why we must address the gender imbalance

in the data center industry 25
25 The importance of female representation in
the data center industry

27
27 Bridging the gender gap

How the digital infrastructure industry

29 is meeting the workforce challenges of
tomorrow
>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce

Introduction:
It’s no secret the data center and wider tech spaces
are experiencing a palpable shortage of skills. As the
existing workforce reaches retirement, taking their
experience with them, and the demand for roles in
tech continues to soar, we are left with a major skills
gap that desperately needs plugging.
We not only need to ensure these holes in our
workforce are filled today, but more importantly, that
they remain filled tomorrow, too. The longevity and
progress of our industry hinges on inspiring the next
generation of tech talent early on and providing them
exciting opportunities to engage with the industry
and really showcase their skills.
In this eBook we examine how we have gotten to
where we are today, what we can do to future-proof
our industry, offering practical tools and resources
to help demystify the data center industry and why
it may be a more viable career choice than many
people think. We also delve into data center diversity
and why an inclusive and varied workforce is the key
to propelling our industry forward.

4 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

Chapter one:
The skills
challenge

Although a background in STEM can be a valuable

component of the data center skill set, it is not the
only factor, far from it.
In this chapter, we look at the skills shortage from
the perspective of a recruiter, the importance
of transferable skills, and the kind of technical
progression making new hires imperative – after all
who else is going to build the metaverse?

5 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce

The skills
shortage: Georgia Butler
DCD

Looking
from the
inside out
What a data center recruiter
sees as the solution to the skills
gap

I
f there is one thing that DCPro
is acutely aware of, it’s the skills
shortage in the data center
industry.
In the last couple of years, we
have discussed the skill gap with
different experts, attempting to
understand its cause and identify
potential solutions.
Recently the expert in question
was Andy Davis, the director for
DataX Connect and Highfield
Professional Solutions, providing
an angle on recruitment from the
inside out.
“I think the skill shortage is
a massive challenge with a lot
of different facets within it. It's
something that people look at
with quite a holistic view, and
actually, there's a lot of individual
differentiators within the challenge.
I always try and break it down into a
few different elements.
“You've got the entry-level,
whether that's a graduate, trainee,
or apprentice. You've got that level,
where we need more new people
coming into the industry.

6 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

I don't think it's about there being a particular
sector that we should get people from, which
is probably where a lot of companies do it
wrong. It's about looking at the person. What
are the attributes of the individual that you're
trying to recruit?
“You've then got attracting people
from other sectors. So how can
we, as an industry, become more
attractive than other industries to
ensure that we're getting the best
talent?
“Then you've also got the
challenge of retention. How do
we keep the best people in the
sector? There are a number of
different facets that create the skills
challenge. I think from a trainee
and entry-level perspective, a lot
of the conversations I have would
boil down to getting your message
to these people at the right time,
which is at a school level. Going into
schools, educating them about the
industry, and telling them what data
centers are.
“I think a lot of focus historically
has been on graduates or 18 to
21-year-olds, but a lot of those have
already made a decision on their
career. They didn't know what a
data center was, so they were never
going to choose data centers. The
key is getting out to the schools.
Look outside of your industry and make
yourself attractive to that minority,
whatever it is you're looking to attract,
whatever demographic it is you want,
make your business attractive to them,
make it work, make it welcoming, and then
people will come to you
7 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
> Andy Davis
DataX Connect
Let's start educating people at a
young age and telling them what a
great industry it is, and the careers
available.”
This idea of expanding awareness
of data centers, while indisputably
important to focus on during
student years, also applies to other
industries. It isn’t possible to only
recruit internally, and as a result,
steps must be taken to create a
wide-spread knowledge base of
data centers across compatible
industries.
“Obviously, anyone that's worked
within the forces or leaves the forces
and moves into engineering, they're
critical thinkers and they're able to
operate under pressure. But again,
that's another group of people that
the manufacturing sector is chasing,
the oil and gas sectors are chasing.
You've got to have a reason for them
to come to the data center sector.
“I don't think it's about there
being a particular sector that we
should get people from, which is
probably where a lot of companies
> Andy Davis
DataX Connect
do it wrong. It's about looking at the
person. What are the attributes of
the individual that you're trying to
recruit?”
Taking this approach of
evaluating people holistically,
rather than demanding data center
experience, can also help with the
unavoidable fact of a devastating
lack of diversity across the industry.
“The majority of people are
around my age, and in that white
male demographic. That's the reality
of it. We've worked this year on
diversity, and how can we increase
that diverse portfolio of candidates.
We don't just want three people
of the same, we want a diverse
shortlist.
“The key to increasing your
diversity is to look outside of the
data center talent pool. Because if
you go to an event in data centers,
and you look at that as your broad-
brush demographic of the sector,
and you want to increase minorities,
they're not there. They're not in
the sector. The whole point around
diversity is we need to bring them
into the sector.
“I worked with a client this year
on diversity, and our mission was to
find more females to bring into their
organization because they wanted
female critical thinking, they wanted
different ideas. So we didn't look in
the data center sector. We went to
other sectors. We identified people
that match the attributes and the
DNA of that business, and they are
now working within that business.
“But we wouldn't have been able
to do that if they said to us, ‘we want
people with five years data center
experience’ or work on hyperscale
projects based in this country, it
would have been impossible.
“Look outside of your industry
and make yourself attractive
to that minority, whatever it is
you're looking to attract, whatever
demographic it is you want, make
your business attractive to them,
make it work, make it welcoming,
and then people will come to you.”

>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce

>Talks

 Andy Davis, director at DataX Connect,

sits down with DCPro’s Vlad-Gabriel
Anghel to talk about recruitment in the
data center industry

Recruitment
with Andy Davis,
DataX Connect

Click to
watch

8 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

 Building the
metaverse
Getty Images
O
ne of the biggest
challenges for the
data center industry
is staffing. Jobs in
the industry require a
specific set of skills, and as the need
for more facilities continues to grow
at an exponential rate, bolstered by
the rise of new developments such as
the much hyped Metaverse, the need
for more skilled staff to design, build
and run them grows too, and that
creates significant challenges.
With a recent report showing an
acceleration in the long-term decline
in students studying STEM subjects,
that challenge isn’t getting any
easier. DCD spoke to Pankaj Sharma,
global executive vice president of
Schneider Electric’s Secure Power
Division about how the data center
industry can address the skills
shortage.
9 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
How a change in
mindset could help
change the industry
and open up a whole
new world
To start, let’s break the problem
down. Sharma explains exactly why
we are in a data center skills shortage
that will only continue to grow if
the industry doesn’t do its part to
encourage uptake:
“Let’s take as a baseline that it
requires around 300 people to build
and operate a data center. It needs
people to design and build those
data centers, write the software
that runs them, and operate them
day-to-day. The reason that’s an
important conversation today is
because the rate at which the growth
of data centers is going to happen, or
is already happening is very different
from what it has been in the last few
years. From a staffing point of view,
that’s 300x an exponentially growing
number of facilities.”
Sharma goes on to explain the
types of skills that are needed. It’s
Chris Merriman
DCD
important to recognize that there’s
an overlap in transferable skills
between different aspects of data
center build and operation.
“When you think of data centers,
you have three parts – you have
the compute part, you have the
networking part, and you have the
physical infrastructure. The skills
needed in all these three areas stem
from physical infrastructure, so
power and electronics as a base.
Then there’s digital, which is a lot
around software development. When
you think about compute, again,
it's a mix of power, electronics, AI,
software development, and so on.”
And although software
development is a crucial piece of
the metaverse puzzle, this is where
the emphasis in schools tends to lie.
As such, there’s a steady stream of
budding software developers, but the
>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce
hardware side, despite being critical,
tends to get overlooked.
“It’s important we remind our
students that you could do the best
software development, AI, and all
of those other pieces which are
required today, but all that has to
sit on a physical infrastructure, so
you need to be able to design the
physical infrastructure first. Hence
the need for power electronics, and
hence the need for ideas on the
hardware.”
But that’s not to devalue the
importance of the software side –
this is where there’s not only a wide
variety of skill sets required, but
skills that are transferable between
aspects of the data center process:
“If you're a software developer,
you could do the compute software
development, plus you could
also do software development
for the hardware. That's where
transferability comes into play.
Similarly, when you're thinking of AI
as an example, from the perspective
of the number of instances you're
looking at and how that turns
into a certain predictability or a
messaging, that can be both on
hardware and software.”
We’ve talked about that hardware/
software divide, but is there an
10 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
Young people have
expectations around
flexible working and
freelance or “gig”
opportunities that give
them better quality of
life balance
inherent problem with the way
STEM subjects are taught? And if so,
does that present a huge roadblock
in the recruitment process? In short,
can companies looking to recruit
extend their search outside STEM
programs to bolster their talent
pool, with self-taught or hobbyist
electricians and coders?
“STEM programs are a very
important foundation for AI,
software development, hardware,
power, electronics, electrical
engineering, etc. I think those
skills and that time spent in an
undergraduate program are
absolutely crucial. Now, could
somebody do an AR type of work
without going to an undergrad
institute? I don't know, it's very hard
for me to say, I think those programs
or those education programs are
absolutely crucial to build the base
on which then you can actually do
more work.”
Another consideration is that,
however crucial data centers are
in terms of running the services,
streaming the videos and facilitating
the chats we have every day, they’re
not the glamorous front-end.
That’s why it’s important for large
companies to offer students and
anyone interested in a career in IT
the chance to make the connection
between the “cool stuff” they
consume, and the infrastructure
they could be a part of to make it all
happen.
With the Metaverse being a
favorite subject, which itself could
have such an impact on data center
usage, it’s a great way to forge that
connection. Along the way, hot-
button issues for young people, such
as sustainability can be brought in
to show how a career in data centers
can be just as cool.
“Because of the direct linkage
between the potential impact of
Metaverse to the planet – that’s to
say you need to build more data
centers, it's not good for the planet,
so how you can build better data
centers, more efficient data centers,
and the direct link between what we
Getty Images
talk about as sustainability and the
planet.”
For Sharma, it comes down
to changing the way businesses
mentor potential employees, going
beyond explaining what the job
entails, to looking at what that
person wants to achieve from a
holistic standpoint.
“Mentorship has to go beyond just
things like leadership, to thinking
about the purpose, your personal
purpose, your career, and so on.
Once you're able to make that
connection, then people, especially
the younger generation think ‘Yeah,
this makes sense. If I am an NBA
fan, and I love to watch games on
the metaverse, and all that compute
happens in a data center, if I get an
opportunity to go build that data
center, or contribute to the building
of that data center, I'd love to do
a job like that.’ It’s an important
aspect for all of us as leaders to
start to apply beyond the basics
of mentorship around leadership,
people management and so on.”
And people respond to that?
“You'll be surprised at the level of
response you get from the students
who are either in STEM or are
thinking about STEM. The amount
of feedback you get from these
students, it's just amazing. I think if
we were to consistently do that, as
leaders in the industry, I think it's an
easy connection to make.”
Another challenge facing
recruiters is the changing face of
work in the post Covid-19 world.
Gone are the days of 40 hours,
Monday to Friday in an office
or on a site. Young people have
expectations around flexible
working and freelance or “gig”
opportunities that give them better
quality of life balance.
Sharma explains that one of the
best ways to deal with that change in
mindset is to embrace it.
“I think the starting point is
acceptance of new ways of working.
A lot of us are starting to think about
11 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
It’s important for large companies to offer
students and anyone interested in a career in IT
the chance to make the connection between the
“cool stuff” they consume, and the infrastructure
they could be a part of to make it all happen
the general purpose of what we are
trying to achieve as a human being.
Do we really want to just spend all
our time just working like crazy or do
we want to work at our own pace?
“People are now thinking, ‘if I
can work at my own pace, and
still do what I want from a career,
passion and purpose point of view,
that's the best situation’. What it
means then is even in skills like
AI or power electronics, if we, as
large companies, are able to accept
as people who will work for us for
maybe a day a week or three days
a week or a couple of hours a day,
then it's easier for us to attract more
and more talent."
However, while that can help
relieve some aspects of the shortfall,
it’s not the solution, because the
needs of the business can’t always
live up to the new paradigms of
work.
“You have to break out your kind
of work into a gig, in a non-gig
type of format. If you're designing
a complete ecosystem of products,
you can take pieces of those designs
and have contributions towards
them from skilled workers in a gig
mode, but you cannot have the
whole ecosystem design built like
that. That means, if you're building
the whole ecosystem design, only
small pieces can be outsourced
Getty Images
into the gig economy. For large
companies, we have to accept that
gigs are the new way of work, but it's
not the only new way of work.”
The underlying secret then, is
that to change mindsets towards
channeling their skills into data
centers, companies have to change
their mindset too, and look at what
people want from a career, and
how the industry can change to
accommodate those ambitions –
be they “cool” stuff like streaming
content and video games, or “hot
button issues” like the environment.
“As an industry we need to be
explain to these students how
they can contribute to creating
something which will be very linked
to renewable energy, and how they
can help sustain the planet better.
“I feel that the data center industry
is probably going to be one of the
most important pieces of the overall
digital economy puzzle, because
this whole digitization, whether
it's e-commerce, whether it's the
metaverse or the NBA example,
or fashion shows in metaverse,
medical sciences – all of that is
possible only if you're able to build
more and more data centers, so the
data center industry is one of the
most important pieces of this whole
digital economy enablement.” 
>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce

>Talks

 Stephen Beard, head of data centres

at Knight Frank, talks to us about the
skills shortage and how transferable
skills from other industries might be the
answer

Transferable
skills
with Stephen Beard,
Knight Frank

Click to
watch

12 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

Chapter two:
Future-proofing
the workforce
Is the key to future-proofing the data center
workforce to make it more appealing to the younger
generation? And once we secure the new staff we
need, how do we retain them?
In this chapter we look at breaking into the data
center industry, those who have left it, and the
different career paths that can be taken. We also
provide helpful resources from the Uptime Institute
and DCD>Academy that help demystify an industry
that for the most part, has eluded the talent we need
the most.

13 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce
Breaking
into the
data center
industry
A warm welcome awaits
newcomers
T
he Department for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport
(DCMS) recently called for
industry insights to help
boost the security and resilience
of the data center industry, which
serves to highlight the essential and
growing role that data centers play
in the UK economy.
Underpinning the digital presence
of a multitude of UK organizations
requires state-of-the-art solutions
and innovative thinking to
counteract cyber security threats
and supply chain issues. But most
importantly, it also requires people.
Data centers are comparatively
low staffed organizations in general,
with the largest line item on the
balance sheet being energy costs. In
contrast, employee wages often tend
to be the biggest expense for other
businesses.
However, data centers still
require talented and experienced
individuals to be successful.
Breaking in from the outside
For those looking to change
careers from a non-technological
14 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
background, those who have
embarked on alternative career
routes without a degree, or entry
level candidates starting out, there
has never been a better time to break
into the data center industry. The
current talent shortage, coupled
with the growing demand for digital
Having only studied
IT or a STEM subject
at school should be
no limitation to hiring
people. I started my
professional career
working in sales but
pivoted early on to
become a data center
engineer at a leading
international provider
> Adam Bradshaw
ServerChoice
Adam Bradshaw
ServerChoice
transformation and sovereign
data center services, means many
providers are reassessing their
traditional recruitment methods and
requirements.
Any career switch is a daunting
prospect, but even more so
when it involves the perceived
impenetrability of the technology
sector. However, there is a high
demand from tech businesses for
talent in a variety of positions, from
accountancy to HR to marketing,
which can get an individual’s foot
in the door and lead to a more
technologically focused role.
Having only studied IT or a STEM
subject at school should be no
limitation to hiring people. I started
my professional career working in
sales but pivoted early on to become
a data center engineer at a leading
international provider. While I
now work in the more commercial
aspect of the business, gaining the
hands-on experience of an engineer
has only catalysed my expertise and
propelled me forward.
Data centers, as well as the
wider tech industry, have begun
highly valuing individuals with the
dual experience of having worked
in a technological role as well as a
wider business role, due to digital
transformation journeys becoming
synonymous with the business
landscape. The additional insights of
other professional fields are needed
to help bridge the current skills gap,
as non-technical organizations
increasingly look to capitalize on
the efficiencies and value that IT
infrastructure offers, which in turn
presents copious opportunities
for candidates with alternative
backgrounds outside of technology.
Alternative career pathways
Across all sectors, many job
applications necessitate an often-
unneeded requirement for a
university degree. However, the data
center sector is open to applicants
from all fields. While there are plenty
of rewarding positions available to
those who possess a technical degree,
many data center operators have
forged a successful career working in
the sector without having even gone
to university.
There are a variety of far more
important capabilities that are
needed to be a successful data center
professional than a first-class degree.
Given that data centers are tasked
with underpinning organizations'
digital presence 24x7, professionals
need to demonstrate adaptability in
case of urgent call-ups for disaster
recovery, or shifts involving working
nights. Project management ability
is also highly sought after, in order
to adhere to uptime standards and
requirements without impacting the
customer's experience.
Reaching out
For those seeking entry-level
positions or apprenticeships in the
industry, reaching out to providers
and data center figures can be the
greatest weapon in your arsenal.
Individuals from the head of finance
to the chief engineer will be delighted
to talk about their departments or
refer people on to the right individual.
Many data center operators are
more than used to watching their
friends and family glaze over when
talking about the industry, so they
15 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
There are a variety of
far more important
capabilities that
are needed to be a
successful data center
professional than a first-
class degree
> Adam Bradshaw
ServerChoice
will undoubtedly be thrilled when an
enthusiastic individual is looking for
their insights.
Ask to come and explore the
data center. Lifting floor panels or
witnessing basic reconfigurations
are valuable experiences that the
majority of individuals do not possess.
Much of society is unaware of the
infrastructure that underpins the
nation's digital presence and gaining
even a preliminary first-hand insight
into how the hardware works will
make candidates shine.
Furthermore, those seeking entry
level positions will be expanding
their network when making visits
onsite. Connections are one of the
greatest assets for an individual, but
a data center professional handling
recruitment is far more likely to
employ someone they have spent
time with, or who comes with a
trusted recommendation, no matter if
they have minimal experience or not.
Meeting the need
As automation and digital
transformation grow ever present
in the professional landscape, the
demand for more talent working
in data centers is only growing to
increase. Those tasked with meeting
these demands are looking for new
capabilities and expanding their
search criteria like never before. For
those who may have traditionally
struggled to broach the sector in the
past, such as entry level candidates,
individuals without degrees or those
switching career paths, the time to
apply for that coveted data center job
is now. 
Find your path
to a career in
the data center
industry
The Uptime Institute has launched
the Data Center Career Pathfinder,
a free online tool that lists career
opportunities within the digital
infrastructure industry.
The service lists more than 230
different types of job roles that span
the design, build, and operation of data
centers, ranging from sustainability
strategy to construction. Each role
includes minimum education
requirements and key competencies,
such as communication, problem-
solving or critical thinking.
Rhonda Ascierto, vice president
of research at Uptime Institute said,
“The data center industry is one of the
fastest-growing markets on the planet
and offers a wide variety of job roles,
yet far too many people are unaware
of the career opportunities within it.”
The tool has been made with
support from Google, Meta, and
Microsoft. The Career Pathfinder aims
to increase the transparency of the
data center industry and reach out to
people from all kinds of backgrounds.
The resource covers the spectrum
of roles needed in data centers, and
will provide information for students
and job seekers about the data center
industry.
Demand in the data center industry
is growing, and with this comes
the need for a growing workforce.
Research conducted by the Uptime
Institute found in the 2021 Global
Data Center Survey of IT and data
center managers, that 47 percent of
respondents reported having difficulty
finding qualified candidates for jobs,
an increase from 38 percent in 2018.
To take your first step toward a
career in the data center industry,
check out the
Data Center
Career Pathfinder
HERE
>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce

Steve Hayward
CyrusOne

The Big Quit: Face with

the current

Future- wave of
resignations,
the industry
proofing the should get
to grips with

data center the problems

underlying
the talent
workforce shortage

If data center companies
aren’t addressing the tech
talent shortage by starting
with ways to retain their
existing workforce, they are
missing a huge trick
> Steve Hayward
CyrusOne
T
he Big Quit – also known as the Great Resignation –
describes the phenomenon of workers exiting their
jobs post-pandemic in search of greater satisfaction.
PwC investigated just how big an impact this is having
on around the world – it discovered one in five workers said
they are very or extremely likely to switch jobs in the next year.
The problem is especially stark in the technology industry.
In July 2022, the UK tech network organization TechNation
called the talent shortage a “real issue” that could “stifle growth”.
Indeed, according to the KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs,
IT & computing posted the strongest increase in demand for
permanent staff in May, even more than in the hotel & catering,
a sector widely reported to struggle filling vacancies post-
pandemic.

16 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

Thinking about my own route, my role models
had a big impact on my decision to enter and
stay in the data center industry
And in trosierenter industry
specifically, the picture is no more
rosy – the Uptime Institute revealed
325,000 net new full-time employee
positions will be needed in the six
years to 2025.
Not enough STEM students
The general perception has been
that there hasn’t been enough
students taking STEM courses and
with lack of uptake, we should
expect to see shortfalls.
It is also clear the industry needs
to think about its approaches to
hiring and retaining tech workers
sooner than later, or they could see
even more workers quitting, putting
even greater workload onto other
employees, which could see their
own performance decline under the
pressure.
The data center industry is
fortunate in how the pandemic
shone a light on the important
essential work of engineers. Yes,
the buildings and infrastructure are
important, but it’s the people that
keep them running and that was
made especially evident during the
lockdowns. We therefore have a
unique opportunity to educate new
talent and build on that interest to
help futureproof the workforce. But
how?
Prioritize people and their needs
If data center companies aren’t
addressing the tech talent shortage
by starting with ways to retain their
existing workforce, they are missing
a huge trick. Organizations should
analyse what is driving staff to leave,
identify what is important to them,
and give them the tools, training
and opportunities they need to
succeed in their roles.
17 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
> Steve Hayward
CyrusOne
For every 18-year-old hired, it’s a
minimum five to six years of time
investment training them to be fully
qualified, confident engineers, so
it’s vital to keep them engaged on
an ongoing basis. Keep exposing
them to new skills and challenges to
develop them so they don’t feel the
need to move, is crucial.
One key need for workers will
always be having the right resources
around them in terms of colleague
support. Understaffing can put
pressure on teams, causing stress-
related health issues that can impact
on individuals’ professional and
personal life, such as headaches,
difficulty concentrating and being
more prone to frustration. But being
empathetic to people’s needs and
ensuring they have time off for
health appointments, that tasks are
being split fairly and evenly and that
they are using their annual leave
allowance can help alleviate worker
stress, making them feel looked after
and positive about work each day.
During the pandemic there were
great examples of leaders dedicating
their extra time to asking after
people and their family, so it is
important not to lose that now the
UK has opened up again.
Companies should also empower
their workers to maximize their
potential, working with them to
decide stretch goals they can use
to progress and see their position
as not just a job, but a career. That
requires respectful mentors and
managers who have enough time
to give to listening and training
staff, as well as developing a strong
culture that unifies and bonds teams
together.
Source talent from new places
Another approach organizations
should take is to think outside the
box when it comes to recruiting
new staff. They shouldn’t just
look in the usual places but be
open to candidates from unusual
backgrounds with transferable
skills, even those who may not have
previously considered a career in
the data center industry.
For example, the role of a data
center engineer requires the ability
to solve problems strategically and
work well independently as well
as in a team – skills that can be
found in a variety of other sectors
including energy and aviation. Since
the start of The Big Quit, we have
seen great CVs from a variety of
sectors including pharmaceutical,
petrochemical and the military.
After all, electrical skills for example
are good skills wherever you were
trained.
Interviewers also need to be
mindful of the terminology they
are using so as not to unnecessarily
alienate candidates who just aren’t
familiar with industry jargon. If you
can relate questions to something
interviewees easily understand,
you’ll get the answers you’re looking
for. Managers can give them the
product training but it’s harder for
them to teach the core qualities
they’ll need to be successful.
Organizations could tap highly
performing colleagues in data
center engineering and other teams
to share stories about their passion
– what they love about their job – to
inspire others to learn more. For
instance, they could share a day in
the life of their role to break down
myths and misconceptions and give
examples of work that challenged
and engaged them. This way, others
can envision themselves in a role
more easily and what they could
bring to the table, which could also
improve the quality of candidates
applying for roles due to them
being more informed about what a
position entails before they’ve even
sent in their CV for consideration.
Invest in the next generation
Furthermore, data center operators
cannot just assume that what staff
>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce
want in a role now, will be what
employees want in five years’ time.
There is a new generation ready
for work, and it is vital companies
adapt and evolve work to attract
and secure new graduates and fresh
minds, as these people represent the
future of the industry.
As a father to teenage daughters,
I want the world to be a place
where they feel they have the
same opportunities that I do. With
the technology industry being so
male-dominated, it is imperative
that leaders look for diverse talent
that bring a range of perspectives to
teams, and not just for the reasons
you might expect.
According to McKinsey &
Company, the relationship between
diversity on executive teams
and the likelihood of financial
outperformance has strengthened
over time. Indeed, every time we
don’t have enough diversity in
teams is an opportunity missed
to have a new perspective or skill
set. The industry is missing huge
waves of talent because it is not
making itself approachable enough.
We cannot continue to grow as an
industry with the limited talent pool
we have currently – it won’t fulfill
the demand from one demographic
segment of the population.
Thinking about my own route,
my role models had a big impact
18 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
on my decision to enter and stay in
the data center industry. A lot of my
family members, who I looked up to,
were engineers, so that field always
appealed to me. Aged 19, I applied
to – and was fortunate enough
to be offered – an aeronautical
apprenticeship with BAE Systems.
That in-depth detailed technical
apprenticeship gave me a hugely
strong knowledge foundation, but
also the motivation to forge the
career I am still passionate about
today.
If the industry drove more interest
in how exciting the industry and
technical qualifications can be, we
can excite more young people and
improve diversity in the industry.
For example, we can touch on how
they can potentially give candidates
a route to faster earnings versus
other qualifications –especially
during the current cost of living
crisis. We know this has been a
major reason for the uptick in
candidates applying to University
Technical College Heathrow, which
has one of the UK’s first data center-
focused curriculums.
Data center companies could
work with industry organizations
such as the Data center Coalition
or Data center Alliance (DCA
Global), the trade association for
the data center industry, and local
institutions such as schools and
universities to encourage young
people to study STEM subjects and
consider a career in data centers.
Leadership could also work to
understand how they can do better
as a company to retain diverse
talent, speaking to employees about
their experiences and investing in
DEI and unconscious bias training
Q
to make workers more aware of their
own role in creating an inclusive
work culture. That way, they can
build an environment that allows
everyone to feel able to bring their
whole selves to work, thrive and be
offered exciting opportunities for
development.
Addressing the skills gap is a
necessity
If companies do not act now,
the tech skills gap will only
worsen, impacting on employee
performance, client service, and
ultimately companies’ bottom
lines. Conversely, if organizations
put people at the heart of their
businesses, spread your search
wider and consider candidates from
untypical backgrounds and inspire
the next generation, they give
themselves the best chance of being
an employer of choice and enjoying
sustained growth, which will pay off
in both the short and long term. 
Click
here to
learn
more
Q&A
Q&A
Patty Anderson,
BGIS
DCD talks all things workforce with
Patty Anderson, vice president of
Business Development at BGIS
At BGIS, how do you go about
inspiring the next generation of
tech talent?
At BGIS we focus on four approaches
to inspire the next generation
of talent with BGIS’ Data Center
services:
Mentorship: BGIS offers mentorship
programs that connect young people
with experienced professionals in
the technology industry. Mentors
offer guidance, support, and advice
on pursuing a career in technology,
as well as offer exposure to the latest
trends, technologies, innovations,
and techniques.
Professional development:
Utilizing training and professional
development programs allows
us to enhance technical skills,
communication, and teamwork
within our team members. These
BGIS programs help students and
young professionals build the skills
and knowledge necessary for a
successful career in the data center
industry and the services we provide
our clients.
Diversity and inclusion: Fostering
an environment of diversity and
19 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
inclusion in the workplace, which
helps attract and retain the next
generation of tech talent within
BGIS. Embracing diversity helps to
bring in different perspectives and
ideas, making for a more vibrant and
innovative workplace.
Social responsibility: BGIS engages
in social responsibility initiatives and
promotes technology for social good.
This helps inspire the next generation
of tech talent, who are looking for
opportunities to make a positive
impact on society through their work.
Has BGIS been impacted by the
skills shortage?
BGIS offers mentorship
programs that
connect young people
with experienced
professionals in the
technology industry
> Don Anderson
BGIS
Patty Anderson
BGIS
I think we can say every industry
and company has been impacted by
the skills shortage, but yes, BGIS has
been as well. The most challenging
part is the data center industry has
traditionally been challenged in
bringing in skilled team members
into the industry even before Covid.
Now as the economy is returning, we
have seen the evolution of resources
moving from their past careers into
new industry sectors to ensure they
have a place in the workforce, which
has been challenging for BGIS,
however close teaming with our
Recruiting and People and Culture
teams have allowed us to create
programs and opportunities that are
focused on retaining, growing, and
attracting talent.
How important do you think
internships are in terms of
young people successfully
entering the industry? Is this
something BGIS offers?
We believe internship positions
are an excellent way for young
people to gain experience, build a
network of professional contacts
and mentors, and an approach that
allows the interns to gain knowledge
>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce
that complements their academic
training and studies. BGIS offers
internship positions in various
departments across our business
lines, enabling young people to get
exposure to real-world learning
experiences.
Of course, no one wants to be an
intern forever. How does BGIS
help foster a roadmap to career
progression/help shape the
leaders of tomorrow?
BGIS has a Future Leaders Program
for employees to allow individuals
to expand their presence within
the company by networking and
collaborating with senior leaders
and other future leaders. Program
activities include opportunities for
participants to learn about different
perspectives relative to workstreams
and career progressions.
For example, BGIS offers a "leadership
talk" series in an interactive fireside
chat format (in person and virtual) to
hear first-hand from senior leaders
in the organization. Also, future
leaders can get access to subject
matter experts in the organization to
ask questions and learn about career
development and opportunities.
How does BGIS create and
maintain an environment
where their staff feel valued,
productive, and cared for?
BGIS conducts annual employee
engagement surveys to get feedback
from team members. The survey
results and the company’s action
plan based on the survey feedback
are communicated across the
organization and followed up to
communicate the results of the
actions taken to close the loop
with our employees survey input.
BGIS also has employee programs
to recognize team members'
accomplishments.
How does BGIS go about
ensuring a healthy work/life
balance for its employees?
Every organization is challenged
with creating a healthy work life
balance for their team members. At
BGIS, while we work hard, we focus
20 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
on providing cultural that is first
focused on our employees and safety
within the workplace. Team members
have access to employee and family
assistance programs, competitive
health and benefits programs,
ongoing webinars on topics related
to health and fitness, flexible work
arrangements and more.
How big of an impact do you
think an employer can actually
have on the happiness and
success of its employees?
An employer can have an enormous
impact on the happiness and
success of their team members. It’s a
combination of listening to employee
feedback and taking action, putting
programs in place that employees will
find valuable and want to participate
in and, most importantly, providing
support and guidance to team
members and treating them as valued
people.
BGIS focuses on creating a culture to
provide a great workplace for all of
our team members to come to work
every day, whether they are working
within one of our offices, our clients’
data centers, facilities, or working
remotely.
What about retaining staff you
already have? How does BGIS
look after its people?
BGIS has competitive compensation
and benefits; we offer training
programs, tuition/professional dues
reimbursement for team members,
and many opportunities to learn and
grow in a supportive and professional
environment.
Team members have many
opportunities to work on various
projects and workstreams within
their business lines, and if they are
interested in gaining additional
skills and experience, we discuss
their career paths to enable them to
continue their journey across our
organization.

To find out more about a career with BGIS,
please visit www.bgis.com/careers/
As our company has grown, many
opportunities have existed to advance
many of our team members careers
within BGIS. And interestingly, we
have many employees come back to us
after they departed BGIS for an external
position at a different company, we
consider them boomerang employees,
and we are also excited to welcome
past team members back to BGIS.
Where does BGIS stand on
diversity in the workplace?
We believe that success is founded
on a diverse workplace with different
strengths, skills, cultural backgrounds,
and ideas. Encompassing diversity
within our teams allows us to embrace
a wide range of perspectives, enable
innovation and change, leading us
to excel in our industry. At BGIS,
we celebrate an atmosphere where
individuals are valued, recognized and
able to live out their full potential.
Could you tell us more about the
‘Women of BGIS’ initiative?
Our Women of BGIS initiative strives
to support increasing women's
representation, inclusion and
development in leadership and non-
traditional roles. The goals of the
initiative include:
• A
 dvancing the conversation of
gender inclusion and equality in the
workplace and fostering networks for
women at all levels to build and grow
alliances.
• C
 reating experiences, mentorships,
knowledge, and programs to provide
effective leadership.
• B
 roadening our efforts to attract,
develop, retain, and elevate
more women at all levels of the
organization.
• R
 ecognizing the benefit of service
and responsibility and giving back,
at professional forums, through
multiple channels, promoting our
commitment. 
 >Skills & workforce

 Panel: How can skills & development

training enable the data center
workforce of the future?

Click to
watch

Expert panellists discuss what steps they are taking in terms of learning
and development to ensure that they are meeting their organization’s skills
requirements, and how data center operators can make sure that they are
prepared to meet the demands of the future.

21 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce

Chapter three:
Data center
diversity

No one is under any illusion that the data center industry

is largely male dominated, and that is something we are
actively looking to change.
In this chapter we dive into why addressing the gender
imbalance is not only important, but crucial to the
longevity and progress of our industry. We also examine
what the industry is currently doing to meet the workforce
challenges not only of today, but tomorrow and beyond.

22 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

 Why we must
address the Lorraine Wilkinson
Equinix

gender imbalance
in the data center
industry
It's been said before.
Let's say it again

D
espite the industry’s best
intentions, technology continues
to be a male dominated
environment. Today, less than
a quarter of IT and tech roles are filled by
women with any meaningful progress to
address the imbalance being frustratingly
slow.
There are a number of excuses for the
lack of representation. One being that there
are very few female role models within the
sector to encourage younger women to
study STEM subjects. Academia is now doing
much more to highlight the opportunities
to female students, helping them to make
early choices that prepare them for a role
in technology. However, the outdated
stereotype that men are naturally better at
mathematics and technology can be difficult
to shake off, which may be one reason why
women continue to be underrepresented in
Getty Images

STEM courses.

23 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce
Bringing more women into the industry is critical
as demand will soon outpace talent acquisition
and training
Certain areas of the industry
also often demand long hours and
commitment, particularly in more
senior positions. Added to this,
many women put undue pressure
on themselves to outperform
their male counterparts to validate
their position. This pattern can be
counterproductive and result in early
burn out or mental health issues.
Instead, employers must support their
female staff and give them the tools
and confidence to feel respected and
equal to their colleagues.
Beneficial traits
But evidence suggests that businesses
thrive when they implement a
more inclusive policy and actively
promote equal representation in the
workplace. Women add a different
perspective to men and can possess
a number of beneficial traits such
as being empathetic and effective
readers of people’s emotions. These
skills are very much sought after
when managing teams, suppliers,
and customers. Many women are
also used to managing multiple
By encouraging a
more diverse profile
of workers, we will
eventually see a
tipping point where
the tech industry
better reflects
society
> Lorraine Wilkinson
Equinix
24 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
> Lorraine Wilkinson
Equinix
domestic and work responsibilities
simultaneously, so they can be
exceptionally skilled at multitasking
under immense pressure.
At Equinix, we recognize the value
that women bring to our workplace
and are working hard to address our
own gender imbalance. Currently just
22 percent of our staff are women,
with that figure falling to 19 percent
in operations. We now have an
initiative called ‘I Am Remarkable’
helping women, without a technical
background, join our industry after a
career break. Many candidates can be
put off applying because they believe
they don’t have the right skillset.
This initiative helps them recognize
that, although they may not have the
technical training, they hold several
extremely valuable and transferable
skills that make them ideal employees.
Bringing more women into the
industry is critical as demand will
soon outpace talent acquisition and
training. The industry could find itself
competing for the same limited pool
of staff despite continuing growth
year on year. For Equinix’s customers,
a shortage of data center operations
workers would slow the progress of
their digital transformation and the
development of digital services that
millions rely on to manage nearly
every aspect of their lives.
Technology is now the fastest
growing sector in the UK in terms
of investment, which means a host
of new opportunities opening up.
In 2021 there was a 50 percent rise
in overall UK tech job vacancies
advertised compared to 2020,
according to Government figures.
This will only continue to grow
and if we fail to encourage more
women into the industry, we may
find ourselves unable to fill these new
positions.
Companies must work to
develop new approaches to finding
and training women to fuel this
future growth. Non-traditional
talent pipelines and recruitment
programmes will encourage
women to apply from more varied
backgrounds. On joining the
business, they will need training
programs and mentoring to grow
their skillset and confidence.
By encouraging a more diverse
profile of workers, we will eventually
see a tipping point where the tech
industry better reflects society. This
is not only good for women, but time
will show us that it will be far better for
our industry. 
Click to
listen
 The importance
of female Gail Stapleford
CyrusOne

representation
in the data
center industry
The sector has

T
he data center industry is
a severe skills experiencing a critical skills
shortage and if it doesn’t evolve
shortage, and only in time, it is only set to get
worse. Recent stats suggest that half of

ten percent of staff existing engineering staff will retire by

2025, yet the number of staff needed to

are women. The run the world's data centers will grow
from around two million to nearly 2.3
million by 2025, according to the Uptime
answer is obvious Institute.
Getty Images

25 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce

As the sector works to identify
ways to both maintain its current
workforce and help grow the talent
pool for the future through targeted
recruitment efforts, one glaring
opportunity for the industry is to
increase representation of women
working in data centers.
The Uptime Institute reported
last year that, despite progress, the
proportion of women in the data
center industry remains low. More
than three-quarters of data center
operators surveyed report that their
workforce is around 10 percent
women or less. What’s more, almost
one in four have no women as part
of their design, build and operations
staff.
It goes without saying that this is
a massive limitation on the potential
scale of who could be qualified to
work in the sector.
Women in STEM
While the sector has indicated its
intentions to diversify, progress has
been slow to date with no single,
easy way to achieve this. According
to WES, only 46 percent of girls
11-14 would consider a career
in engineering, compared to 70
percent of boys, however this drops
even further in years 16-18 with just
25 percent of girls considering a
career in engineering compared to
52 percent of boys.
This goes to highlight the
To welcome and retain the next generation
of skilled professionals, the industry must
do more to inspire young talent, especially
gender and race diversity, to take up STEM
importance of teaching at grassroots
level, ensuring that STEM subjects
capture the interest of girls early in
their education and cultivated all
the way through their high school
education. Furthermore, according
to a study by CrowdStrike, the lack
of women teaching and studying
STEM subjects has had an impact on
the gender and skills gap in related
sectors.
For instance, on computer-
science courses, women only
account for 13 percent of
undergraduates. The low numbers
of women in these courses mean
fewer land jobs in the design, build
and operations departments of the
data center industry.
Overall, positive steps have been
made to address the overall data
center skills shortage in the UK. For
instance, in the past year, University
Technical College Heathrow (UTC
Heathrow) and techUK announced
the creation of the first Data center
UTC in the UK, as part of the Digital
Futures Program – a first for the
industry. UTC Heathrow has
redesigned its existing curriculum to
allow students to gain the essential
knowledge and skills needed to
thrive in technical careers within
the data center sector and add it as a
new career path option.
However, as part of the next phase
to addressing this shortage, it’s
imperative that the sector supports
efforts that encourage females
to participate in these curricula.
To welcome and retain the next
generation of skilled professionals,
the industry must do more to inspire
young talent, especially gender
and race diversity, to take up STEM
subjects from an early age.
The industry has a vital role to
play from engaging students and
raising awareness of all the exciting
career paths in STEM, to supporting
existing initiatives such as Girls
in Data and Woman in Data, to
creating mentorship programmes
that support women in a male-
dominated industry.
Securing the future of sustainable
data centers
Diversity, equity and inclusion
is a business imperative which
helps build and empower future
workforces, while also addressing
societal challenges. Creating green,
sustainable, carbon neutral data
centers is undoubtedly the number
one priority for the industry.
Achieving this will depend, in part,
on the development of a pipeline of
available, diverse talent, including a
prominent female representation. A
diverse workforce is more creative
and innovative, both central
components to achieving the
sector’s sustainability goals.
The data center industry will
always be challenged with keeping
pace with digitalization, but the
one constant to ground all of
this inevitable change should be
ensuring that the workforce is
skilled for the problems of today and
for tomorrow and this cannot be
achieved without diverse talent.
The industry has acknowledged
this diversity gap and lack of
female representation, which is an
important step. Now, we must come

subjects from an early age together to address it. 

> Gail Stapleford

CyrusOne

26 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com

Bridging
the gender
gap
Breaking down
a generational
construct
I
t hasn’t gone unnoticed by
anyone working in data centers
that there is a significant
disproportion when it comes to
the gender divide in employees (and
employers). This isn’t isolated to our
industry, however. It is a STEM-wide
issue with origins in centuries of
gender-based inequality.
Marynet Bassily, director of supply
chain and procurement for Vantage
Data Centers has seen this female
‘drought’ across several industries.
“When I joined the railways, it
was very much like this, and by the
27 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
time I left the railways, it was near
enough the opposite. I remember
sitting in a meeting room with seven
out of eight people being female,
project managers, engineers, even
the construction manager, and it
was great to see that transformation.
Unfortunately, it is taking quite a
long time for us to get there, but I
believe we will.”
But how can we start to break
down a several-generations deep
construct? In truth, there is no one
simple answer. It needs to be a
multi-approached attack, one that
Georgia Butler
DCD
leaves patriarchal values trapped and
powerless.
“I'm a member of what we call
the JEDI, which is justice, equity,
diversity, and inclusion. The
other forum that I'm a member
of within Vantage is the Women
Leadership Forum. Within those
two events, we're trying to promote
more diversity into the business,
especially women in STEM and
upper-level roles, because it tends
to be that the female representation
within construction sits within the
softer aspects, like the legal and
>> DCD eBook | Developing the mission critical workforce
From my
background, there's
not a lot of women in
engineering, because
of the idea that we
need to have a family,
that's what's more
important. But why
can’t you do both?
> Marynet Bassily
Vantage Data Centers
28 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com
HR, rather than in engineering or
construction.
“We need to ask ourselves
questions like, how do we promote?
How do we get more young ladies
into the engineering world, the
STEM world? Is it going into schools
and trying to promote ourselves?
I'm a mother of three girls, so I know
what it can be like – there's a bit of a
glass ceiling.”
The glass ceiling is a concept that,
if you are a professional woman,
you are well familiar with. But it can
be pushed through. As Bassily said,
she saw it happen in the railway
industry, and we can follow suit.
“I hate to use the word positive
discrimination, but there was a little
bit of that within recruitment. But
there were also targeted recruitment
campaigns, going into universities
and schools, and promoting the
industry a bit more.
“That's from a business
perspective, but I also think that
young females need to be able to
take that in and actually pursue
careers in STEM industries. There's a
bit of management needed on both
ends. From my background, there's
not a lot of women in engineering,
because of the idea that we need
to have a family, that's what's more
important. But why can’t you do
both?
“If you look at some of the posters
from TfL and the license network,
you see that there are more females
with hard hats on. It starts with your
marketing and advertising, and it
starts with women like myself and
others who go down to primary
schools and start talking to them and
getting girls interested in STEM.”
Ultimately, it is not just within the
data center industry that attitudes
need to change. It is all very well to
argue that women can do ‘both’, but
expectations for women to raise a
family and maintain a household
also need to change, to allow them
the bandwidth to take on these
roles. Women can do both, but they
cannot and should not be expected
to do everything.
The data center industry has so
many opportunities to pave the way.
Be it in industrial environmental
sustainability, or bridging the
gender gap. There is a responsibility
to do better than those who went
before. 
Click to
watch
 >Skills & workforce

 How the digital infrastructure

industry is meeting the workforce
challenges of tomorrow
Fireside chat:
What can the data
center industry
do to attract talent
and make the
sector a rewarding
and inclusive
place to work?
Click to
watch

Panel: Can
the digital
infrastructure
industry
realistically
address its
inherent diversity
issue?

Click to
watch

29 | DCD eBook • datacenterdynamics.com