The talent shortage in the data center industry is critically worsening. Nearly two-thirds of data center operators have difficulty retaining staff, finding qualified candidates, or both, according to the Uptime Institute’s annual survey. Those challenges are set to intensify as more people retire in the coming years, impacting innovation and growth opportunities. Global demand for data center capacity in 2030 could be 3-5 times bigger than today – driven in large part by AI. But delivering on that unprecedented demand requires a lot more of the people who design, build, and operate data centers. And it requires new skills, since AI changes so much about how data centers should be designed, built, and operated.
Educating the next generation of data center talent has long been a priority at EdgeConneX.
We co-founded our first large-scale education program, the Digital Infrastructure Capstone, with Infrastructure Masons in 2020. The year-long program gave students practical experience to help jump-start their careers after graduation. It began at Hampton University and then spread to over 30 other HBCU institutions, as well as Morgan State, UTEP, and Prairie View A&M University – and eventually, to STEM-focused high schools.
Jai Huntley was one of the first Capstone students; she graduated from Hampton University in 2021 and now works for EdgeConneX full-time as an engineer.
“The Digital Infrastructure Capstone was an amazing experience where I received the support of so many people throughout the industry. It was one thing to learn the ins and outs of a data center, but it was and still is another to apply that knowledge to an operating data center with dollar signs behind it. I recently hit my two-year mark, so I have a special appreciation for many seasoned EdgeConneX individuals who have supported me.” – Jai Huntley, Capstone Program Graduate and Data Center Design Engineer at EdgeConneX
In addition to large-scale programs like the Capstone, we have long been committed to collaborating actively with local schools and universities to spark interest and raise awareness about careers in this growing field. These efforts include attending career fairs at local high schools and on college campuses, providing leadership and curriculum, hosting on-site shadowing experiences, and mentoring the next generation of industry leaders.
In Northern Virginia, for example, EdgeConneX is a community sponsor of James Madison High School’s WINGS Experience, an internship-like program that provides seniors the chance to “explore opportunities beyond the classroom” by shadowing an ECXer. In Denver, team members are engaged with the Burns School of Real Estate at the University of Denver, speaking at student events and providing feedback on programs. In Latin America, we are excited to bring our expertise to high school students in Santiago, Chile, by hosting talks at local schools during the 2025/26 academic year to explain the role of data centers.
Drawing on those successes, we’ve launched a new education initiative – leveraging global partnerships to deliver a customized curriculum for designing, building, and operating data centers.
Aiming to bridge the divide between formal education and career opportunities in digital infrastructure, the new Education initiative equips young people aged 14 to 24 with the tools, skills, and confidence necessary to succeed in the rapidly evolving fields of digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and cloud technology.
Our initial rollout of the initiative includes schools in Atlanta and New Jersey. In the Atlanta-area community of Union City, where we’re building a new data center campus, we worked with Mayor Vince Williams to understand the community’s education priorities. Then we made a three-year commitment to sponsor a high-quality computer science and AI curriculum that fosters lasting skills, builds confidence and interest, and opens doors for under-resourced students.
Union City will serve as our Education pilot for other ECX communities. We aim to onboard area schools by early 2026, continue the program through the 2028 school year, and then introduce the program in other markets. We’re already planning a global expansion of the Education initiative, rolling it out in Europe and Asia-Pacific over the next several years.
This new Education initiative includes several new partners and an expanded engagement with iMasons.
One of our new collaborators is The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA Program (Award USA), an internationally recognized program for young people that builds their skills to equip them for life and work. The program has established relationships with a broad range of schools and communities, enabling us to reach more students.
To expand the hands-on opportunities for students in the program, we’ve broadened our collaboration with Infrastructure Masons, whose community can offer mentorships, internships, and other types of real-world learning along with career pathways.
To ensure economies of scale and an ability to roll the initiative out to many schools and communities, we’ve partnered with Hello World CS, a STEM-focused curriculum and education platform. Their innovative 1st through 12th grade curriculum leverages AI and VR technologies to bring tech learning into the modern era, and we’re working with them to develop a data center-specific curricula to be delivered via their platform.
“We are thrilled to join forces with The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA Program, Infrastructure Masons, and Hello World CS to equip the leaders of tomorrow. This collaboration bridges education with opportunity, empowering young people through hands-on experiences, mentorship, and sustainability awareness. By investing in their growth today, we’re helping to shape a future where technology careers drive progress, inclusion, and global impact.” – Angela Capon, VP of Marketing EMEA at EdgeConneX
“We are thrilled to join forces with The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA Program, Infrastructure Masons, and Hello World CS to equip the leaders of tomorrow. This collaboration bridges education with opportunity, empowering young people through hands-on experiences, mentorship, and sustainability awareness. By investing in their growth today, we’re helping to shape a future where technology careers drive progress, inclusion, and global impact.”Bottom line: As rapidly as the industry evolves, we need to evolve our education endeavors – to ensure we’re empowering the next generation of infrastructure leaders with the skills they’ll need to support AI, and beyond.