EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Connected Nation | September 27, 2022
Connected Nation (CN) today announced the launch of a Digital Literacy and Learning program in collaboration with AT&T. The program, which is part of AT&T's national digital literacy initiative to help narrow the Digital Divide, will offer in-person and virtual digital literacy training workshops in underserved areas across the country where training is needed most for the digital empowerment of residents. CN will partner with local community organizations in each area to host training workshops from September 2022 through March 2023. In addition, CN will lead virtual and in-person workshops for military families at its Digital Works office in Fort Campbell, Kentucky"Digital literacy has long been part of Connected Nation's mission ensuring that every person is able to use technology meaningfully is absolutely essential in today's digital economy, said Heather Gate, Executive Vice President of Digital Inclusion. This program provides us the opportunity to meet people where they are in their digital skills level, confidence with embracing technology, and interest in enhancing their skills as new technology adopters. There is no better way to do this than by collaborating with trusted partners to bring much-needed training to local communities across the country. We are excited to get started. To launch this program, CN staff is reaching out to communities that previously participated in the nonprofit's technology planning process and identified digital literacy as a need. "Offering a tangible skill like digital literacy training to communities that Connected Nation works with allows us to model closing the Digital Divide in a real way," said Pamela Waggoner, Broadband Solutions Manager.
The amount of federal and state funding earmarked for broadband initiatives continues to grow. More communities than ever have access to these funds, and can use them to bring programs like this one to their residents.
"In recent months, there has been a considerable emphasis and focus on the large investments being made by federal and state governments to support the buildout of very high-speed networks across our communities.We also need to prepare these communities with the tools and training necessary to take advantage of these capabilities to help improve their lives. This initiative will be a significant factor in addressing that need."
Dan Manning, CN Broadband Solutions Manager
About Connected Nation
Connected Nation celebrated 20 years of service in 2021. The national nonprofit's mission is to improve lives by providing innovative solutions that expand access to and increase the adoption and use of broadband (high-speed internet) and its related technologies for all people. Everyone belongs in a Connected Nation.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY,ONLINE EDUCATION
ORAU | August 05, 2022
ORAU unveiled its all-new ORAU Pathfinder app, providing a wide range of resources on the go. This app offers college students, recent graduates and postdoctoral students a mobile tool to search and apply for hundreds of science, technology, engineering and math internships, fellowships and research opportunities at facilities across the U.S., such as NASA and the Army Research Laboratory.
The ORAU Pathfinder app also provides a platform to remain engaged, connected and informed during the ORAU experience—from application, to offer, through the appointment and even as an ORAU alum.
“We created the ORAU Pathfinder app with our current and future research participants in mind, We wanted to provide a platform for ORAU interns, fellows and others to connect and be able to stay connected to ORAU on their mobile devices.”
-ORAU Director of Research Programs J. Scott Miller, Ph.D
The ORAU Pathfinder mobile app helps those interested stay engaged, connected and informed during their experience at ORAU and beyond, and the app can be used to search and apply for opportunities, learn about exclusive ORAU events, manage applications, accept offers, access a variety of STEM career resources and more!
About ORAU
ORAU provides innovative scientific and technical solutions to advance national priorities in science, education, security and health. Through specialized teams of experts, unique laboratory capabilities and access to a consortium of 152 major institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to advance national priorities and serve the public interest. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.
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CORPORATE EDUCATION AND TRAINING,CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
Schneider Electric | July 13, 2022
Schneider Electric™, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced a series of updates to its vendor-agnostic and CPD-accredited digital education platform, Schneider Electric University. Available in 14 languages and accessible globally for free online, the dedicated professional development platform directly addresses the data center sector skills gap, helping industry stakeholders to upskill and stay up to date with the latest technology, sustainability, and energy efficiency initiatives affecting the sector.To-date, Schneider Electric University has delivered more than one million courses to over 650,000 data center users, with +180 countries represented by its global user-base.
The new updates to the Schneider Electric University Data Center Certified Associate (DCCA) qualification include fundamentals of power, cooling, racks, and physical security, and guidance on how to optimize data center designs to drive resilience, energy efficiency and sustainability. It’s newest courses, for example, include Optimizing Cooling Layouts for the Data Center; Fundamental Cabling Strategies in the Data Center; Examining Fire Protection Methods in the Data Center; and Fundamentals of Cooling II – Humidity in the Data Center.
Furthermore, its curriculum addresses key focal points for the industry such as Data Center Site Selection and Planning, which offers guidance on how to select brown and greenfield sites for access to renewable energy; Alternative Power Generation Technologies, which helps drive the implementation of renewable energy strategies, on-site power generation and use of technologies such as microgrids; and Battery Technology for Data Centers, which evaluates the sustainability impact of different types of UPS batteries, the benefits of Lithium-Ion technology, and offers an analysis of the associated lifecycle costs.
Addressing the industry skills gap
Research in the Uptime Institute Annual Data Center Survey 2021 estimates staff requirements will grow globally to nearly 2.3 million in 2025. Further, 32% of respondents reported difficulty in retaining staff, with 47% having difficulty finding qualified candidates for open jobs. Attracting and retaining talent within the industry, which is the heart of the digital economy, is now reaching a critical mass.
By encouraging individuals to upskill and continue their professional development for free, the Schneider Electric University is directly addressing the data center industry skills gap and talent shortage, helping businesses to attract, retrain both new and existing talent, and providing access to specialized technical education, everywhere.
“In the last few years data center capacity demands have grown exponentially, reaching record new highs as digitization and cloud adoption accelerates. The sector skills shortage, however, remains a significant challenge and has potential implications for other connected industries, By providing guidance on the latest technology and sustainability initiatives, we believe the Schneider Electric University offers an invaluable resource to help bridge the skills gap by empowering business ecosystems, reskilling the workforce, and training the next generation of professionals to build the data centers of the future.”
-Pankaj Sharma, EVP Secure Power Division
Long-term commitment to education
Prior to its acquisition by Schneider Electric in 2006, members of the Data Center Science Center at APC™, Schneider Electric’s flagship brand of battery back-up power, surge protection, and IT physical infrastructure for data centers and edge computing environments, created the ‘Data Center University’ as a free resource to help train and upskill the next generation of industry professionals. Their vision was to create a CPD-accredited training curriculum that would support the professional development of industry stakeholders and prepare them to build the data centers of the future.
As ‘Schneider Electric University’, the platform has grown to offer more than 200 data center, energy efficiency and sustainability courses via two dedicated colleges, the Professional Energy Manager (PEM), and the DCCA qualification. All courses are available as self-paced, one-hour modules, in 14 different languages, offering free access to energy education, everywhere. Further, the university is recognized by 25 different industry CPD bodies including BICSI, the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA), Engineers Ireland, and the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).
As one of the industry’s-first dedicated professional development platforms for data centers and energy management, Schneider Electric University has remained completely impartial with all courses maintaining 100% vendor-neutrality. To-date it has delivered over 1,000,000 courses to more than 650,000+ users globally and offers a crucial lifeline for industry professionals seeking to advance their skillsets.
About Schneider Electric
Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. We call this Life Is On. Our mission is to be your digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency. We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. We are the most local of global companies. We are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about our shared Meaningful Purpose, Inclusive and Empowered values.
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