West Des Moines offers free path to data center jobs
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The City of West Des Moines is launching a tuition-free, 15-week data center technician training program for under-resourced people wanting to jump-start a new career.
Why it matters: The program's goal, in collaboration with DMACC, is to help 10 people gain upward mobility in a growing career field, says WDM human services director Audrey Kennis.
How it works: Applicants for the program must have used West Des Moines Human Services in some way, like the food pantry, clothing closet or utility assistance. They do not have to be a WDM resident.
- The 10 people who are selected will get everything covered, including a laptop, child care assistance, a mentor and help with any other barriers that may make it difficult to attend classes, Kennis says.
- After they complete the program at DMACC's Microsoft Datacenter Academy, they will get to interview for a local data center technician internship that starts at $27 an hour.
The big picture: In Iowa, occupations under "computer network support specialists" earned an annual median of around $63,000 in 2023, per state data.
How it started: While the human services department helps with basic necessities, Kennis says this newly launched workforce program will help with upward mobility.
- Thousands of people who utilize the city's human services department "get stuck in jobs, not careers," Kennis says.
- They often work multiple positions and struggle to gain the technical or soft skill sets needed to move to a higher-wage position.
Yes, but: Though data center construction is booming here, data center employment has declined in Iowa, although it's grown in most of the rest of the country, per U.S. Census Bureau data from 2016-23.
- The biggest growth in data center jobs comes from the construction of the data centers.
What's next: The application deadline is Aug. 8.