Chris Crosby , CEO of Compass Datacenters , on iMasons critical role in training the next workforce By Chris Crosby , CEO of Compass Datacenters iMasons is playing a pivotal role in supporting educational programs that train the next generation of the data centre industry ’ s workforce . 30 % of current data centre personnel are expected to “ grey out ” over the next few years , and 60 % of data centre operators are concerned about an industry-wide skills shortage driven by that coming wave of retirements . It is critical for our industry to recruit more young people to look at data centre careers and to educate and train those young people with the multidisciplinary skills needed in our industry . iMasons , and its members , are passionate advocates for both of those critical issues . iMasons ’ involvement in the SMU ’ s pioneering degree programme – the M . S . in Data Center Systems Engineering – is a perfect example of the impact iMasons is having . This was the first degree programme in the U . S . that trains students for careers in data centres , and it has served as a model for similar programmes at other colleges and universities . iMasons has provided valuable input to the programme and has also generously created scholarships for students of need to enter these degree programmes . Those scholarships have recently allowed two students of colour to successfully completed their degrees and begin their careers at fast-growing data centre companies . Thank you to iMasons for their invaluable advocacy for these education programs .