RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On behalf of Power Distribution, Inc. (PDI), the leading supplier of power distribution and monitoring solutions for data centers, and the Potomac AFCOM Chapter today announced that students from North Virginia Community College (NOVA) will be awarded a $6,000 scholarship. The scholarship award will be divided equally between three carefully selected students who are enrolled in the Spring 2020 semester of NOVA’s two-year Data Center Operations program.
The scholarship was created to ease the financial burden and help stimulate interest within data center management as the industry faces serious workforce challenges—with an aging workforce retiring in the near future and leaving behind significant talent gaps. The severity of this gap is noted in a survey of AFCOM members who found that across the industry, only 21% of workers are below age 45 while 73% are between the ages of 46 and 61.
“Northern Virginia is the largest market for data center space in the U.S., home to 4.6 million square feet (SF) of commissioned data center space, representing 616 megawatts (MW) of commissioned power, according to market research from ‘datacenterHawk’,” said Chad Knights, Provost of Information and Engineering Technologies, NOVA. “At Northern Virginia Community College, we have led the way in helping the data center industry fill their talent pipeline with a trained workforce through the establishment of the Data Center Operations (DCO) specialization of the Engineering Technology A.A.S. degree.”
As one of the award presenters, Dave Mulholland, PDI’s VP of Global Services and President of the Potomac AFCOM Chapter said, “As a small organization in the midst of one of the largest and fastest-growing data center markets in the country, the Potomac AFCOM chapter has taken steps to drive new talent into this market through internships and scholarships. We are really excited to be working directly with the students in the DCO path at NOVA.”
“The cost to complete the full DCO program is $12,000 and we are grateful to the Potomac Chapter of AFCOM for providing needed scholarships that allow our students to complete the DCO program and enter the rapidly growing field of data center operations immediately upon graduation,” said Kelly Persons, Executive Director, NOVA Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to securing private resources to support NOVA students, faculty, staff and the mission and values of the College.
In its continued efforts to nurture future data center specialists, PDI and Potomac AFCOM Chapter also sponsored three summer internships for the second year this year.
Find out more about and/or join the Potomac AFCOM chapter at http://bit.ly/PotomAFCOM
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About NOVA
Northern Virginia Community College is the largest institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America's largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls more than 75,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge, and through NOVA Online. For more information about NOVA and its programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit the College's Web site, www.nvcc.edu.
About Power Distribution, Inc. (PDI)
Power Distribution, Inc. (PDI) is a pioneer of innovative power transformation, power distribution, and intelligent power monitoring solutions for mission-critical operations. The company leverages its ISO standards-based manufacturing facilities in Virginia and California, as well as partner and customer collaborations, to create the broadest range of award-winning solutions in the industry. Through the PDI and ONYX brand names, these industry-leading solutions are sought after by data center, industrial and other mission-critical facilities and backed by continued global service and support. The net result: One company to provide and to service the end-to-end power needs of a 24x7 connected world. For more information, please visit www.pdicorp.com.
| For more information, contact: | |
| Jackie Abramian | Hoang Nguyen |
| BridgeView Marketing (for PDI, Inc.) | Media Relations |
| 603.570.7533 | Northern Virginia Community College |
| jackie@bridgeviewmarketing.com | hdnguyen@nvcc.edu |
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ef7c715f-e10a-4d49-946d-c9d97c964c51