(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Technology provider IBM (www.ibm.com) has collaborated with Omaha, Nebraska’s Metropolitan Community College (www.mccneb.edu) to develop a first-of-its-kind green data center management degree using IBM hardware, software and online skills training resources.
According to IBM’s announcement, the two-year associates degree requires 36 credit hours of courses that help students gain technical and business skills preparing them for careers in the design and management of energy efficient data centers. MCC developed the curriculum with the help of the IBM’s Academic Initiative, a program providing nearly 4,000 colleges and universities worldwide with no-charge access to online skills resources including tutorials and course ware.
“IBM’s Academic Initiative will further help ensure that MCC students are developing technology skills that bring together computer science, engineering and sustainability,” Metropolitan Community College dean of information technology Tom Pensabene said in a statement. “We’re seeing a dramatic increase in demand here in Nebraska for specialists who understand how to help companies reduce the costs associated with running an energy-intensive data center. Now, our students are getting exposure to leading edge IBM technologies, increasing their chances of being hired for jobs in this growing area.”
The new degree comes at a time when US colleges and universities are expected to lead the way in preparing the future workforce with innovative new skills to help boost the economy. For example, in July, President Obama launched the American Graduation Initiative, a 10-year, $12 billion plan to fund new scholarships and online classes, and to modernize aging facilities and infrastructure at community colleges.
As part of the new MCC degree, students learn about virtualization and server consolidation, energy efficiency, business resiliency, and security and compliance skills through a new, real-world enterprise data center on campus, which features IBM Power Systems servers running AIX, IBM i and Linux environments. MCC’s data center is funded through a three year $1.8 million grant from the US Department of Labor in an effort to increase the number of students enrolled in IT programs.
For the past 12 years, MCC has often ranked in the top 20 community colleges nationwide for number of IT graduates, and Omaha, itself, is one of only a handful of US cities that sits at the intersection of both east-west and north-south fiber optic networks, which makes it a hub for communications and information services companies, which require IT-savvy employees.
IBM ISV and developer relations general manager Jim Corgel said IBM is proud to be helping MCC develop this first-of-its-kind program, offering its expertise developed from working with clients across the globe. “As companies look to improve service, reduce cost and manage risk, students educated through MCC’s new program will be well-positioned for IT careers that help businesses address these challenges,” Corgel said in a statement.
The data center courses, however, will not be limited to those on campus. The IBM technologies used in this program let MCC extend the degree to other colleges through a virtual learning program. All courses in the green data center management track will be offered online, letting remote students learn the same skills as those on campus and giving them virtual access to the physical data center itself.
Students can enroll in the data center management associate degree program beginning in December.
