• • • DATA CENTRES • • •
Could data centre demand
drive a skill revival The UK is facing an ongoing skills crisis, with some 62 per cent of organisations reporting issues with skill shortages in 2024
By Paul Mongan, Engineering Manager, Davenham Switchgear A
mong the respondents, a further 68 per cent went on to state that the shortage of skills has increased workload on existing
staff, highlighting the impact of the crisis not just on future growth, but on current productivity, performance and job satisfaction. These issues persist further in the STEM sector.
The talent pipeline seems to be drying up when it comes to young talent, with too few graduates entering the industry and compounded by poor retention rates for those that do. Some of the most common reasons for leaving early include limited career progression, poor flexible working options and a lack of inclusivity. These findings are supported by the British
Computer Society’s Diversity Report 2024, which found that, despite efforts to attract more women into the sector, females make up just one-fifth (21 per cent) of the tech workforce. Meanwhile, diversity in STEM subjects at A-level, as well as higher education, continues to remain low. Combined, these issues highlight the growing mismatch between the skills needed by employers
and those offered by the current workforce, a gap projected to cost the UK some £120 billion by 2030. Remedial action must be taken to ensure a steady supply of skilled candidates join and remain in the workforce. The question is, how?
Data centres driving skilled work The demand for data centres is growing at a staggering rate, with the latest forecasts from trade association, TechUK, predicting growth of up to 20 per cent per year. In turn, the sector is expected to deliver a massive boost to the UK economy, generating an additional £44 billion in value over the next ten years. Yet, to support this exponential growth in the
industry, a need is quickly evolving for more skilled workers, like electrical engineers and specialist technicians, to manage it. Some argue that this puts high-tech
infrastructure like data centres at odds with the STEM community, which is already grappling with an insufficient number of candidates. So much so, that data centres have previously been branded as
40 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • SEPTEMBER 2025
‘a victim of their own success’, effectively competing against the wider science and engineering industry for the same dwindling talent pool. My experience, however, tells me that this
could be the change the industry has desperately needed. All phases of the data centre lifecycle, from
initial design and construction to maintenance and expansion, require expert hands to manage them. In the same way that a push for more ‘green’ technologies to meet environmental targets led to a surge in ‘skilled’ job roles, data centres could offer the same potential to UK workers, broadening the growth and development options on offer for those looking for a career change. The appeal of the sector is something we’ve
seen first-hand this year as well, with the opening of our new manufacturing facility in Nottingham. In fact, it’s been one of the fastest recruitment processes we’ve experienced to date so far; a reflection of the rising awareness around careers
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
