Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) expands datacenter training

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• MSFT — MICROSOFT CORP

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Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), the cloud services provider, expanded its Datacenter Academy network with programs in Hyderabad and Melbourne, adding local training for technical jobs needed to operate digital infrastructure, the company said. The expansion addressed a workforce requirement Microsoft identified in its datacenter business: construction and operations required significant numbers of skilled technical, engineering and operational personnel.

The company said its academies had enrolled more than 12,522 students since the program began in 2018 and were training technicians in at least 14 countries. Microsoft separately warned that labor shortages, competition for talent and shortages of specialized contractors could increase costs and extend construction schedules, slowing its ability to deploy infrastructure to meet demand.

In Hyderabad, the newest community in the network, Microsoft brought together educational institutions, the Telangana regional government and nonprofit organizations to help train a local workforce. United Way of Hyderabad recruited students, connected them with local employers and provided interview preparation. Other participants included the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad, Young India Skills University and Don Bosco Tech Society, the company said.

That recruitment effort offered a route into datacenter work for people already holding technical qualifications. Huziafa Bin Yahiya Ibees had worked in a low-paid electrical engineering job before enrolling in the academy. After completing the program in April, he began a paid internship at a new Microsoft datacenter, according to the company. Microsoft said some academy students subsequently took full-time positions with the company, and others entered technical roles elsewhere in datacenters and digital infrastructure.

Local partners operated each academy and administered classes, certifications and financial aid. Microsoft supplied equipment racks for simulation labs and provided scholarships, financial assistance and mentorship from employees. Training combined practical lab work with instruction in datacenter operations, networking, cloud services, cybersecurity and systems management, the company said.

The approach also extended to Australia, where Microsoft opened a Melbourne academy at Victoria University's Footscray Nicholson campus in March 2026. It followed the country's first academy in Sydney, established in February 2025 with the public vocational education provider TAFE NSW. By September, 107 students had completed the Melbourne program, according to Microsoft. Victoria University's senior manager for digital skills, John Burgess, cited 10,000 prospective vacancies as demand for cloud and AI services in Victoria accelerated.

The Melbourne courses included preparation for critical environment technicians, who managed the power, cooling and mechanical systems that kept datacenters running. Those responsibilities supported infrastructure whose electrical supply Microsoft described as critical to both operations and expansion; the company said power constraints and connection delays could restrict additional capacity.

Among Melbourne's students was Moénika Hübsch, who was four weeks into a 16-week critical environment technician course when Microsoft described her progress in September. After earlier work in photography, video production and hospitality, she had returned to technical education. Her next planned step was to apply for a datacenter internship later in the fall, the company said.

Citations

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