31 US veterans trained as part of data center workforce partnership
The University of Health & Performance trained 31 military veterans under a multi-year partnership with Salute to build a pipeline of 12,000 veterans for data center careers. Salute CEO Erich Sanchack said demand for workers is increasing as data centers expand, while environmental advocates continue to raise concerns about the industry’s electricity and water consumption.
The University of Health & Performance, based near Gentry, Arkansas, has trained 31 veterans as part of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar partnership with Salute, a Franklin, Wisconsin-based data center services company. The initiative aims to recruit and prepare 12,000 veterans for data center careers over the next several years. Salute CEO Erich Sanchack, a former U.S. Marine, spoke at the graduation ceremony and said the partnership is designed to create career paths in a rapidly expanding industry.
Sanchack said Salute expects growing demand for technicians and other data center workers as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other digital services expand. He also described newer facilities as using more advanced cooling systems and, in some cases, generating electricity behind the meter. Food & Water Watch criticized the broader growth of data centers, warning that their energy and water demands could increase utility costs and environmental impacts. Sanchack said the partnership is connected to at least one undisclosed data center project in Arkansas, though neither UHP nor Salute owns or develops data center sites.