Here's an audio recording of Session 13 from the inaugural Data Center Frontier Trends Summit, held Sept 4-6, 2024, in Reston, Virginia.
Session Description from 2024 DCF Trends Summit Program:
Community and Global Horizons in Data Center Workforce Development, Diversity, and Legacy
This panel will focus on the critical role of data centers in shaping workforce development, highlighting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles in enhancing community relations. The discussion will cover effective strategies for cultivating a skilled and diverse workforce, including specialized training programs, collaborations with educational institutions, and comprehensive leadership development efforts. The broader societal contributions of data centers will also be considered, such as stimulating economic growth, improving local educational outcomes, enhancing digital connectivity, advancing environmental sustainability, and fostering community engagement.
Ways of empowering female data center leadership with proven strategies that challenge the status quo and enrich the industry’s diversity will also be discussed. The session will also discuss ways to attract, inspire, and retain young talent while addressing the industry's aging workforce and ensuring a robust pipeline of future leaders. Examples will also be presented of how pioneering investments in LATAM foster inclusive work cultures by marrying diversity and women’s leadership goals to sustainable financing. The session will also examine the various aspects of data center apprenticeship programs and how companies can benefit from cultivating an on-ramp of talented, ready-to-learn, ready-to-work people to fill their workforce.
