INFRASTRUCTURE MASONS
Digital Infrastructure Futures Foundation ( DIFF ) as a 501c3 charity to enable contributions from individuals to be taxdeductible . DIFF also qualifies for the employee giving programmes and company match of most major employers , accelerating investment in education programmes in our sector .
As an association of individuals , iMasons forms member committees to focus efforts on our key initiatives . Launched in 2018 and chaired by industry veteran Dennis Cronin , the Education Committee aims to bridge the talent gap by increasing the number and quality of the education and training programmes that deliver talent to our industry . The approach has been to identify existing programmes that specifically prepare people to enter and succeed in our industry , and provide scholarships to the students in and entering those programmes . iMasons has identified degree or certificate programmes at ten institutions worldwide that fit the bill , and awarded almost 50 scholarships for a total of almost US $ 122,000 in 2020 . Just ahead , we will highlight some of these programmes , including IT Sligo in Ireland , HELHa in Belgium , and Southern Methodist University in Texas .
Of course , in order to give money , we must raise it . In 2018 , iMasons launched a US $ 1 Million Dollar Challenge to fund scholarships . With the incredible generosity of companies and individuals in our community , as of 2020 , we are over halfway there . Due to this success , in 2020 , iMasons founded the
Coming Up We are often asked by Universities to assist in establishing data centre programmes . To address this need , in 2020 , iMasons launched a Capstone project at Hampton University as a pilot . Due to its success , the programme will now be expanding to three more universities throughout 2021 and 2022 . Internships are another key strategy to bring new early career professional talent into companies in our industry , and many companies are seeing success there . CommScope and Vertiv both have excellent programmes that are profiled on the coming pages .
The above programmes focus primarily on university graduates , but we often hear that the skills shortage is most acute at the technician and trades levels . We ’ ll take a look at Microsoft ’ s programme to create and support Data Centre Academies to train skilled technicians in partnership with a dozen colleges that are in close perimeter to Microsoft data centres .
So , while our industry is growing at a breakneck pace , the industry is also working in partnership with the education sector to meet that need , and those efforts are quickly accelerating . Together , we can bridge the talent gap and make for a more vibrant tomorrow !
108 October 2021