Setting students on a path for careers in one of North Texas’ fastest growing industries
Dallas, TX (May 16, 2025) – Compass Datacenters and Texas State Technical College (TSTC) have partnered to create a new training program designed to prepare participants for good-paying jobs in data center maintenance and operations – the Mechanical Electrical & Information Technology Pathway Program. This comes at a time when the need for workers is high and growing.
“As our economy evolves, it’s crucial that the education we provide prepares students for jobs that are in demand,” said Marcus Balch, TSTC’s North Texas campus provost. “Our partnership with Compass Datacenters gives us the ability to ensure that we’re responding to growing demand for data center workers and creating unique opportunities for our students.”
“This industry offers so many challenging, financially rewarding and exciting job opportunities,” said Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass Datacenters. “We’re glad we could help jumpstart the MEI program to create a pipeline between members of the local community and Compass partners. Whether someone is graduating or exploring their next chapter, there are cool careers to be built in and around data centers.”
Globally, the demand for data centers is projected to rise between 19 and 22 percent from 2023 to 2030, according to McKinsey & Co. At the same time, the industry faces an ongoing struggle to meet workforce needs. A 2022 survey found that 53% of data center organizations report they face difficulties finding qualified candidates, a challenge that is growing year-over-year. The program will provide introductory education on the skills needed to fill these jobs.
The Mechanical Electrical & Information Technology Pathway Program is designed for high schoolers, post-high school graduates and career changers throughout Ellis County. Participants will get exposure to broad set of disciplines and learn skills required to work in and around data centers. Compass Datacenters will provide scholarships to the first cohort of 12 students this July.
As the MEI Data Center Pathway Program rolls out, students will have the opportunity to choose to enroll in a full-time, six-week session, or a part-time, 12-week session. At the conclusion of the session, students will have the opportunity to interview with employers from some of the nation’s leading companies, with a presence in Red Oak and throughout the country. Program supporters, include: CBRE, Salute, Schneider Electric and Vertiv.
Learn more about the program at https://www.tstc.edu/workforcetraining/datacenters/.
About Texas State Technical College
With locations across the state, Texas State Technical College helps to strengthen the Texas workforce with highly skilled, technically competent graduates. Operating on a unique funding model based on student employment outcomes, the college is celebrating 60 years of service to the state of Texas in 2025. For more information, visit tstc.edu.
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