Youth unemployment in the UK is a persistent issue and one which has intensified in recent years as a result of the ongoing economic crisis and the lack of jobs available.
This problem is further compounded by graduate unemployment, with highly qualified youngsters leaving university only to find that there are not jobs for them to fill.
However, the Data Centre Alliance (DCA) believes that it could tap into this pool of unexploited talent and encourage out-of-work graduates to get involved in this emerging industry.
Prioritising Employment
The DCA points out that statistics show that the data centre market is expanding at a rate that is more significant than any other area of the British economy. If this growth rate is to be sustained then data centre providers need to find more staff to help them cope with demand, because at the moment there is a deficit of skilled workers who are able to make up for the gap.
This is why the DCA has announced the creation of a graduate boot camp which is explicitly targeted at those university-educated people who have not got a job elsewhere and could be in a good position to start a career in a data centre.
Scheme spokesperson Simon Campbell-Whyte points out that the problem being faced by data centre operators is not only that there are not enough skilled employees, but also that the average age of staff members is over 50. This means that the problem will only intensify if it is not addressed sooner rather than later.
Mr Campbell-Whyte argues that at the moment many graduates are simply not aware of the opportunities that are available to them in the data centre industry, in spite of the fact that many of the services they use on a daily basis will be entirely reliant on this infrastructure.
The intention of the scheme is to help graduates and even those who have already worked in other areas and industries to acquire the skills necessary to make them a valuable team member within a data centre environment.
Probable Prospects
The project is located at the Dockland’s campus of the University of East London. Perhaps most important of all is the fact that it is free to attend, with the costs being covered by a number of data centre sponsors.
This shows just how eager data centres are to get the right kind of employees, who will be able to work effectively over the coming decades.
A small group of 21 people is going to take part in the boot camp, with a 10-day course scheduled to instil them with the kind of knowledge and information that will help them succeed in interviews for data centre jobs.
It will be interesting to see whether or not this scheme is effective, particularly given how important it could ultimately be to the industry.
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