DataBank recently partnered with the Culpeper Technical Education Center (CTEC) in Culpeper, Virginia, as part of its ongoing commitment to engage and support the communities where we operate Over two days, this hands-on program gave 40 electrical students an up-close look at the data center industry and the career opportunities it holds. 

The program is the latest in a series of community education initiatives DataBank has pursued across our national footprint. Earlier this year, we opened one of our Atlanta data centers to nearly 20 young people for a career exploration event focused on data center operations and the trades. We also recently partnered with the Red Oak Public Library to bring take-home 3D printer kits to students, removing barriers to hands-on technology access in the Dallas community.  

The Culpeper program is part of the same commitment: The view that being a good neighbor means investing in the people and places where we build and operate.  

A Community Partnership Takes Shape

CTEC is a career and technical education school located directly across the street from our new Culpeper data centers currently under construction. Its electrical program students had built an impressive lab model of a data center data hall, complete with raised floors, electrical power and distribution systems, low-voltage and network cabling and conduit, backup power, cages, servers, and more.  

DataBank wanted to support CTEC students and help expand their understanding of the data center industry. We saw an opportunity to do what good neighbors do: Open our doors, share what we know, and give these students a firsthand look at an industry that needs their talents.  

Day One: Meeting the Students and the Site

On the first day, we brought together a team spanning operations and construction to make the trip to CTEC. Matthew Uveges, Regional Director of Data Center Operations for the Mid-Atlantic Region, and Thomas Barrett, Project Manager for our Culpeper campus, represented the hands-on expertise these students were hungry to learn from. We were welcomed by CTEC Principal Shaun Summerscales, Electrical Instructor Doug Keaton, and Bryan Rothamel, Director of Economic Development at Culpeper County and the Culpeper Tech Zone. 

The DataBank team met with 40 Level 1 and Level 2 electrical students ranging in age from 16 to 18. After an overview of the data center business, Uveges and Barrett evaluated the students’ data hall model, offering feedback and noting how closely their work reflected a real-world facility. 

The group then boarded a bus across the street to tour the Culpeper campus, where they met with construction teams and contractors, walked the site, and took in the scale of two facilities under development: a 72MW building currently under construction as well as planned 120MW data center. 

Day Two: Seeing the Finished Product

On the second day, the older Level 2 students, those nearing graduation, traveled by bus to Ashburn to visit two of our operational facilities, IAD1 and IAD3, and see what a completed, fully operational data center looks like. 

They met with Patrick Greene (Data Center Manager, IAD3), James Mathes (Data Center Manager, IAD1), and Mike Ocampo and Isaiah Benjamin (Data Center Technicians, IAD3), who shared their experiences and offered firsthand perspective on careers in data center operations. The conversations covered everything from day-to-day responsibilities and shift work to career progression, certifications, and what employers actually look for when hiring technicians.  

Students also got a candid look at how their electrical training maps directly to the skills needed on the data center floor, and how quickly that training can translate into a stable, well-paying career. 

From Blueprint to Operations: A Complete Picture in 48 Hours

In just two days, these students experienced the full arc of a data center: from a 30-foot-long lab model, to a 100-acre campus under construction, to a fully operational 40MW facility. They heard directly from construction and operations professionals about how their electrical training translates into immediate, well-paying careers in a growing industry. 

That kind of end-to-end experience is rare, and it doesn’t happen without the right people saying yes. We’re grateful to the CTEC faculty and Culpeper County leadership for making this partnership possible, and proud of the DataBank team members who gave their time and expertise to make it meaningful. 

Culpeper is one of more than 25 markets where DataBank operates across the United States, and programs like this reflect how we think about our role in each of them. Building data centers is what we do. Being a good neighbor is who we are. Whether that means opening our doors to students in Atlanta, bringing 3D printers to a library in Red Oak, or spending two days with 40 young people in Culpeper who are about to launch their careers, we believe the communities we operate in deserve more than our infrastructure. They deserve our investment. 

We look forward to continuing our relationship with CTEC and finding new ways to support workforce development, STEM education, and career opportunity in Culpeper and beyond.

Want to learn more about how DataBank is investing in the communities where we operate? Visit our Community Relations page or explore DataBank Digest for more stories about our people, our partners, and the neighborhoods we’re proud to call home.