DCO PD NSF Grant

During project year 1 - 6, regional fellows will serve as an advisory cohort, providing formative and summative feedback on the structure of the fellowship.

During project years 2 – 3, cohorts of 8 fellows per year will be recruited from large and emerging US data center markets through collaboration with the ACTE. Fellows will complete training at NOVA’s DCO training facility and then complete their externship near their home institution.

The economic activities of enterprises that rely on Internet services require a significant data center infrastructure to ensure continuity of services. In turn, data centers require significant capital investment, ongoing operational maintenance, and the technical workforce capacity to support various center operations. As data center capacity continues to expand in the Northern Virginia (NOVA) region and the country at large, a trained engineering technology workforce is necessary to meet the growing demand for skilled workers.

At present, community and technical colleges lack the instructional capacity to offer programs and coursework to support this rapidly emerging technological field. This project intends to address the lack of workforce issue by developing a sustained professional development program. The proposed Data Center Operations Program Development (DCO PD) has the potential to prepare engineering technology faculty to integrate DCO skills into their teaching practice, conduct national outreach to administrators and educators, and establish professional networks with data centers and their operators regionally and nationally.

The project has three primary components. First is a sustained professional development fellowship for faculty, including a three-day workshop series at NOVA Community College's data center training facility and a five-day externship at an operational data center. Second is an awareness and recruitment campaign at national conferences including project presentations, data center site visits, and hands-on skills workshops. Third, and finally, is a data center education digital resource hub serving as a repository of curriculum, industry contacts, career information, and a map of growing data center markets. The project intends to advance the understanding of industry externships and site visits as a tool for faculty professional development. Instructional materials would be disseminated through publications of the Association for Career and Technical Education's Techniques magazine, the career and technical education Journal, The Science Teacher, and Technology and Engineering Teacher.

Results of the project will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and presented at various conferences. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.

1. A DCO Professional Learning (PL) Fellowship for educators: Fellows will:
   1. Attend a 3-day PL series at NOVA’s data center training facility in Woodbridge, VA led by experienced industry professionals.
   2. Complete a 5-day DCO externship at an operational data center nearest their college.
   3. Produce a data center education action plan for integrating data center operations content into their professional practice.
2. An awareness and recruitment campaign through ACTE’s national conferences: DCO PD partner ACTE will host workshops, presentations, and coordinate industry site visits during its national conferences. ACTE will conduct three types of conference events:
   1. Awareness presentations for CTE administrators covering the data center market, growing need for technicians, desired skills, and other relevant information.
   2. Data center site visits to facilities near conferences for prospective fellows and conference attendees.
   3. DCO skills workshops that provide hands-on introductions to relevant skills for data centers (e.g., fiber splicing).
3. Data Center Education Digital Resource Hub: The resource hub will serve as a repository of PD curriculum, provide syllabi and other pedagogical materials produced by fellows, and offer industry contacts, career information, and a map of growing data center markets. The hub will provide interested IHEs with an avenue to form connections with data centers in their region.

Data Center Coalition – The Data Center Coalition (DCC) is the membership association for the data center industry. DCC empowers and champions the data center community through public policy advocacy, thought leadership, stakeholder outreach, and community engagement. View members

AFCOM - AFCOM is a professional association proven to advance the career of IT and data center professionals. For over 40 years, we've been educating, connecting & lifting our members to help them meet the growing demands facing our industry.

Interested in joining? Email potomac@afcom.com.

7x24 Exchange -  7×24 Exchange International is a not-for-profit organization that provides an educational forum focusing on challenges faced by mission critical industry professionals. They are the leading provider of conferences enabling collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst industry professionals. View Members List

VEDP Data Centers Page – Virginia hosts the largest Data Center market in the world. Learn about the Data Center industry in Virginia with highlights in infrastructure, talent, business climate, and more. (link title to https://www.vedp.org/industry/data-centers) 

Northern Virginia Community College: DCO Tech Evaluation Baseline Interview Summary – Hear from four DCO industry representatives and four Career and Technical Education (CTE) and engineering programs K-12 staff representatives on regional employment needs, career pathways, K-12 awareness, diversity, and stakeholder partnerships.

Published – March 2022

Data Center Map – Global AI Data Center Construction Tracker

Data Center Coalition report Economic Contributions of Data Centers in the United States - A new PwC report reveals the substantial impact of the U.S. data center industry on the national economy between 2017-2023, as well as for all 50 states and the District of Columbia between 2022-2023.
Published – February 2025  

Infrastructure Masons State of the Digital Infrastructure Industry – Annual Report 2025 - Gain insights and predictions into how to achieve a collaborative, responsible and sustainable approach to the world’s growing demand for digital infrastructure from 500 industry leaders
Published – 2025

CBRE North America Data Center Trends H2 2025 - With record low vacancy, mounting power constraints and limited new deliveries, the race for data center capacity is intensifying.
Published - February 2026

JLL North America Data Center Report Year-end 2025 – The JLL report shows rapid data center growth driven by AI and cloud demand, expanding into new markets beyond traditional hubs. Demand still exceeds supply due to power and infrastructure constraints, keeping vacancy very tight.
Published - February 2026

Cushman & Wakefield 2023 Global Data Center Market Comparison - An analysis of 20 key variables for hyperscale and colocation operators, occupiers and developers across 97 global markets.
Published - 2026

Available DCO Programs

Northern Virginia Community College’s A.A.S. and C.S.C in Data Center Operations – These programs will prepare you for an entry-level position in data centers or companies that support data center functions as a technician, operator and/or technologist. The DCO programs immerse you in coursework that prepares you to earn BICSI Installer 1, Installer 2 (Copper) and Installer 2 (Fiber Optic) industry credentials, as well as an OSHA 10 certification.

Mesa Community College’s Certificate of Completion in Data Center Operations – This program is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment as a mechanical, electrical, and controls technician in data centers or companies that support data center functions.

Estrella Mountain Community College’s CCL in Data Center Operations and Microsoft Data Center Academy – CCL is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment as mechanical, electrical, and controls technicians in data centers or companies that support data center functions. Microsoft Data Center Academy trains students in skills and certifications to help them secure employment in the growing cloud computing and IT sectors.

Cleveland Community College’s Mission Critical Operations Certificate – This certificate provides introductory knowledge of the types of support systems and system integration required for high-availability interests.

Texas State Technical College’s MEI Data Center Pathway Program – This program provides participants with classroom education and hands-on experience with the equipment that drives this fast-growing, mission-critical industry.

Texas A&M University’s Data Center Operations Engineering Certificate – This program provides an integrated education that prepares a new workforce for the specific challenges involved in planning and decision-making for running operations, designing infrastructure, and managing resources in large-scale data centers. The technical focus of this certificate centers on developing the critical skills needed by data center employees, providing a theoretical and practical foundation in the key areas of power, cooling, effective systems management, and computer systems. 

Marist College’s Data Center Facilities Management Certificates – The Data Center Facilities Management Associate and Professional Certificate programs provide competency in critical infrastructure design, management, and problem-solving. While learning relevant, job-related skills, participants earn undergraduate credits that can be applied toward a fully online bachelor's degree at Marist. The program provides participants with essential knowledge and skills in facilities management, infrastructure, power, cooling, data communication, project management, and cloud computing.