Kansas-based QTS Data Centers has partnered with Arizona community colleges to address ongoing workforce challenges in the industry.
As it expands it footprint in Phoenix, the tech giant is collaborating with other data center operators and Maricopa Community Colleges to train a new generation of technical workers in the Valley.
Bryan Darby, vice president of strategic technology initiatives at QTS said a lot of the skilled workers needed to run the data centers are aging out at the same time the industry is growing.
“As a result it’s just really magnified that issue and made it a top priority for all of us operators,” Darby said.
Students attending all 10 MCC schools across metro Phoenix will have the opportunity to earn a Data Center Operations certificate through classes held at the Estrella and Mesa campuses.
“It’s a whole certificate that helps them be better prepared and get into data center entry level jobs,” Darby said.
Data centers are joining other industries like semiconductors in the race to train more workers to support the projected growth of the sectors. Phoenix is a top growth market for data centers — the region had 757 megawatts under construction and 3,766 planned as of the first half of 2024, according to JLL research.
The certificate program includes the college’s base technicians program plus additional data center-focused courses that were added on to create the program.
The program also features a speaker series, data center tours, a data center day and internship program for hands-on experience in the industry.
The first cohort of students is expected to complete the certificate in the fall of 2025. A couple hundred students have already started taking courses that can apply to the newly approved program.
According to Darby, the certificate program is the second of its kind in the nation and was modeled similar to a program in Northern Virginia. He said the curriculum was tweaked to meet local needs and that so far it’s been “really well received” in the community.
“I think it’s one of those things we’re probably going to see in other markets,” Darby said.
In the future MCC could continue to expand with more classes offered to get more students through the program.
QTS has an existing data center campus in Phoenix and is currently constructing another campus in Glendale near the Loop 303. Last year it acquired 206 acres in Avondale for nearly $250 million.
