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Microsoft Datacenter Academy

Ensuring every person has access to the technology, skills, and opportunity to pursue in-demand jobs in a changing world.

Empowering the planet

  • What is the cloud and why is it important.

    We are in the midst of the “fourth industrial revolution,” as organizations and individuals around the world use cloud computing to get the latest and greatest technology, power their businesses and daily lives, and accomplish things never thought possible. The cloud enables many of the activities we use on a daily basis: communication, banking, gaming, entertainment, business applications, artificial intelligence, and many more. The cloud enables organizations to deploy applications anywhere on the globe without constraints. The cloud hosts massive amounts of data that feed these applications and provide information to people and businesses around the world. 

  • What is the Microsoft Datacenter Pledge?

    Datacenters are at the heart of our daily life—hospitals, schools, businesses, and government all depend on the computing that happens in local datacenters. Datacenter buildings house thousands of computer servers and data storage devices connected to the internet.

     

    At Microsoft, we are committed to building and operating datacenters responsibly, for the good of the community. This is our datacenter community pledge. We will contribute to a sustainable future, advance community prosperity and well-being and operate responsibly as a good neighbor.

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  • What is the Datacenter Academy

    The Datacenter Academy is an initiative empowering individuals to excel in the dynamic landscape of cloud computing, IT and critical environment. As a workforce development program from Microsoft Community Affairs, the Datacenter Academy collaborates with education partners (e.g. schools) in datacenter communities, delivering training, certifications, scholarships, grants, mentorship, and work experience. This comprehensive approach enables employment opportunities in the rapidly growing fields of cloud computing and IT. The Datacenter Academy program delivers on five core pillars as illustrated below.

  • map of datacenter locations

    Datacenter Academy locations

    Explore the global network of Datacenter Academies. Presently, Microsoft has 18 active Datacenter Academy sites across the globe, with ongoing initiatives to expand this network in the near future.  

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The five core pillars

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    Curriculum

    Work with local education partners to ensure high quality industry recognised curriculum.

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    Datacenter Lab

    Datacenter equipment for hands-on digital skills training and education. 

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    Mentorship

    Connecting with others and learning from current employees. Our local datacenter teams mentor and support students in their education development. 

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    Work Experience

    Opportunity to gain valuable work experience at a Microsoft Datacenter.

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    Scholarships & Financial Grants

    Provide financial support for diverse students.

Curriculum

Microsoft has partnered with local education institutions to supplement existing IT curricula by incorporating specialized instruction tailored to IT support scenarios within large-scale IT environments, such as hyperscale cloud data centers. While the curriculum may vary slightly from one institution to another, our primary objective is to enhance the employability of the local workforce by ensuring alignment with the core competencies and in-demand skills of the broader IT industry. While some aspects of the instruction may be specific to Microsoft data centers, the curriculum, certifications obtained, and practical hands-on experience gained through the program will benefit all students pursuing a career in IT.

 

The Datacenter Academy students who successfully complete the program requirements will be awarded with certificates from CompTIA. CompTIA is the world's most trusted certifying body of IT professionals who helps learners get the career they deserve with industry-leading certifications and expert knowledge.

 

Click on the links below to find details on CompTIA certifications available:

A+, Security+, Network+, Cloud+, Server+

 

Datacenter lab

  • About
  • How it works
  • School hardware eligibility

  • As part of our commitment to community partnerships, Microsoft actively supports our education partners in supplementing classroom instruction by providing resources to build datacenter labs. Through donations of datacenter equipment, we enable these partners to establish on-site labs, offering students valuable hands-on experience with cloud storage tools and equipment. By fostering familiarity with this equipment, students are better prepared for successful careers in IT.

  • The typical lab contains at least three (3) rack cabinets with a mix of servers, storage devices and networking equipment. If the learning institution has more space, a bigger lab deployment is possible. Microsoft’s Workforce Development team partners with local construction companies to outfit the new lab with the necessary cooling, ventilation, and wiring to support lab operations. Typically, datacenter labs are deployed in a classroom nearest the school’s computer science or IT programs.

  • Datacenter Academy locations are selected by Microsoft using some of the following criteria 

    • Proximity to Microsoft datacenter locations
    • Educational institution’s ability to delivery IT technical training
    • Ability to reach underserved populations 
    • Appropriate site capacity to house an IT lab including adequate electrical power, sufficient floor capacity to manage rack weight and proper air ventilation
  • Photo of employee working in datacenter
  • Photo of employee working on computer hardware
  • Photo of datacenter hardware
  • Photo of employee working in datacenter

    As part of our commitment to community partnerships, Microsoft actively supports our education partners in supplementing classroom instruction by providing resources to build datacenter labs. Through donations of datacenter equipment, we enable these partners to establish on-site labs, offering students valuable hands-on experience with cloud storage tools and equipment. By fostering familiarity with this equipment, students are better prepared for successful careers in IT.

  • Photo of employee working on computer hardware

    The typical lab contains at least three (3) rack cabinets with a mix of servers, storage devices and networking equipment. If the learning institution has more space, a bigger lab deployment is possible. Microsoft’s Workforce Development team partners with local construction companies to outfit the new lab with the necessary cooling, ventilation, and wiring to support lab operations. Typically, datacenter labs are deployed in a classroom nearest the school’s computer science or IT programs.

  • Photo of datacenter hardware

    Datacenter Academy locations are selected by Microsoft using some of the following criteria 

    • Proximity to Microsoft datacenter locations
    • Educational institution’s ability to delivery IT technical training
    • Ability to reach underserved populations 
    • Appropriate site capacity to house an IT lab including adequate electrical power, sufficient floor capacity to manage rack weight and proper air ventilation

Mentorship

  • Datacenter Q&A
  • Instructor Training
  • Employee-led classrooms
  • Tutoring
  • Mock Interviews
  • Advisory

  • Microsoft datacenter team members may facilitate interactive Q&A sessions, providing students with insights into the daily operations and work environment within a datacenter.

  • Whenever feasible, our skilled technicians are available to provide training sessions for instructors covering a range of topics including cabling, hardware installation, safety protocols, and other best practices.

  • On occasion, Microsoft staff may deliver classroom instruction. The most common training we provide is cable management as well as fiber troubleshooting skills; this provides real world best practices for handling fiber, transceivers, cable routing, and proper dressing. Then Career Success, which includes walking students through the process of setting up a LinkedIn account, building a profile, connecting with Microsoft employees, and finally how to create a Microsoft Careers account.

  • Throughout the program, our educational partners and datacenter staff will share their expertise, advice, and guidance by serving as tutors to ensure that students receive all the necessary support and reach their full potential.

  • Community colleges often conduct mock interview sessions to prepare students for real-world interviews in the IT sector. Datacenter staff may assist in these programs by conducting authentic Microsoft-style interviews to provide students with practical experience.

  • Datacenter staff may engage in one-on-one interactions with students, offering career advice, tips for successful interviewing, and assistance in crafting impactful resumes.

  • photo of datacenter center employees in meeting
  • Photo of datacenter employee working togther
  • Photo of Microsoft employees
  • Photo datacenter employee working togther
  • Photo of employees in conference
  • Photo of employees looking at laptop
  • photo of datacenter center employees in meeting

    Microsoft datacenter team members may facilitate interactive Q&A sessions, providing students with insights into the daily operations and work environment within a datacenter.

  • Photo of datacenter employee working togther

    Whenever feasible, our skilled technicians are available to provide training sessions for instructors covering a range of topics including cabling, hardware installation, safety protocols, and other best practices.

  • Photo of Microsoft employees

    On occasion, Microsoft staff may deliver classroom instruction. The most common training we provide is cable management as well as fiber troubleshooting skills; this provides real world best practices for handling fiber, transceivers, cable routing, and proper dressing. Then Career Success, which includes walking students through the process of setting up a LinkedIn account, building a profile, connecting with Microsoft employees, and finally how to create a Microsoft Careers account.

  • Photo datacenter employee working togther

    Throughout the program, our educational partners and datacenter staff will share their expertise, advice, and guidance by serving as tutors to ensure that students receive all the necessary support and reach their full potential.

  • Photo of employees in conference

    Community colleges often conduct mock interview sessions to prepare students for real-world interviews in the IT sector. Datacenter staff may assist in these programs by conducting authentic Microsoft-style interviews to provide students with practical experience.

  • Photo of employees looking at laptop

    Datacenter staff may engage in one-on-one interactions with students, offering career advice, tips for successful interviewing, and assistance in crafting impactful resumes.

Photo of employee working on engine

  • Work experience

    Microsoft offers work experience opportunities for qualified Datacenter Academy scholars. Where available, scholars' interview for paid work experience within a Microsoft datacenter. The typical work-experience is 12 weeks, covering a variety of entry-level roles in the datacenter, such as datacenter technician, logistics technician, and inventory management. 

    Skills learned in the classroom and lab environment, such as hardware management and data security protocols, are put to use in a live datacenter environment. 

     

    Work experience requirements: 

    • Datacenter Academy Scholar
    • Completed all certification classes 
    • Passed at least 1 certification test (preference for students passing both CompTIA Server+ and A+ certification tests) 
    • Completion of field of study (certificate or degree) in Information Technology or Information Communication Technology
    • School recommendation 
    • Datacenter panel interview 

Scholarships

Datacenter Academy scholarships help pay for the cost of tuition, fees, and certifications for students who are seeking IT skills, in locations where those costs can impact a student from pursuing education. The scholarships are targeted to help those who have historically been underrepresented in STEM and technical fields. Through these scholarships, Microsoft helps promote the acquisition of skills and certifications for employment in the growing IT sector in Microsoft’s datacenter communities – and beyond.    

 

To apply for a Microsoft Datacenter Academy course, please visit the college in your selected area and submit your application directly to them.

How to apply

Testimonials

  • DAndrea Turner
  • Branden Marshall
  • Jesus Estevan Rios III
  • James Johnson IV
  • Shirley Moore

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