there are so many different types of diversity and I think we really need to open up the conversation to think about how we ’ re dealing with different minorities .”
Industry must address skills shortage Laina ’ s belief is that , to do better from a DE & I point of view , the industry needs to look at its existing practices from top to bottom . That means assessing everything from hiring procedures and the opportunities being afforded to different demographics , to career progression and whether enough is being done to help staff feel empowered in their jobs .
“ If we do that in a way that is honest , informed by data and there is support from leadership ,” she continues , “ that will tell us quite a lot about what we can be doing in future in order to rectify all of that and make sure we attract and retain an increasingly diverse workforce .”
A huge issue impacting not just the data centre industry but the entire technology sector is the global skills shortage .
The aforementioned Uptime Institute estimated two years ago that 300,000 more workers would be needed to run the world ’ s data centres by 2025 , taking the total to around 2.3 million .
Making better use of STEM education and apprenticeships has been highlighted as one of several potential solutions , while Flucker says the industry must also get better at self-promotion .
“ The industry is growing so quickly that it becomes very hard to fill positions ,” she adds . “ A wider issue is that people are not so aware of the industry or jobs in technology and engineering in general . It actually starts very young . If children don ’ t
“Diversity and inclusion isn ’ t just about gender ; there are so many different types of diversity and I think we really need to open up the conversation ”
SOPHIA FLUCKER TECHNICAL DIRECTOR , MICIM LTD
90 August 2023