Community colleges are vital in preparing students for local employment, but what happens when the demand is for data center positions?
Training for the Future: Community Colleges and Data Centers
In various parts of the United States, community colleges align their educational programs with local industry needs. In Las Vegas, students might learn to fix slot machines, while in the Florida Keys, underwater photography could be on the curriculum. Presently, in northeast Louisiana, the focus is on equipping students with the skills necessary to construct and maintain data centers. Despite the controversial nature of the industry, a local college is determined to prepare its students for a future driven by artificial intelligence.
Fletch Batchelor, an instructor at Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe, guides students through the process of handling fiber-optic cables. These cables, essential for data transmission, are as thin as a human hair and require careful manipulation.
FLETCH BATCHELOR: I’m going to pass around some safety glasses.
The task involves stripping the protective layers of fiber to splice strands together, a skill that needs practice, as Batchelor advises: “Once you do strip that fiber, just be real careful with it. Don’t stab yourself into the hand, OK?”
One of the students, Shanae Williams, a mother of four and a certified nursing assistant, is transitioning into this new field. “I’m just getting to the point where I want to try something else,” she explains. The potential for higher earnings in fiber installation is a significant motivator for her.
Local businesses, like the tech giant Meta, are partnering with community colleges to develop specialized training programs. Meta, constructing its largest data center in the area, identified a need for trained technicians and approached Delta Community College to establish short, intensive courses. “When a business comes to us and says, we need people to work here, we will turn around and say, well, what skills do they need?” explains Dan McCarty, the director of trade programs at Delta.
With Meta’s support, including $5 million in scholarships, the college developed two credential programs focusing on data center technology and construction. However, the expansion of data centers has sparked debate nationwide due to concerns about environmental impacts and resource consumption. Despite this, Dan McCarty is optimistic, stating, “We’re not going to go tear it down. So as long as it’s here, let’s make the best of it. Let’s grow with this, if we can, and look at the success stories that we’re seeing.”
Since January, over a hundred students have completed Delta’s data center program, with all securing employment. Marcus Jackson, the youngest in the class at 20, aims to leverage his training into a long-term career at Meta. “It makes me kind of want to do stay at home, knowing that I’m going to be set,” he remarks.
Fletch Batchelor, who has worked extensively outside the state, appreciates the opportunities these local projects create. “Smartphones were just the beginning. Now we have to have somewhere to support all of that, and that’s where you all come in,” he tells his students, emphasizing the enduring demand for fiber technology skills.
For NPR News, I’m Aubri Juhasz in Monroe, Louisiana.
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