From ‘skills gap’ to ‘skills evolution’ - rethinking capability in data centre design

People often talk about a ‘skills gap’ in the data centre industry. In reality, what we face isn’t a gap at all but a constant shift. Technology changes frequently and the knowledge we need moves with it. Engineers aren’t falling behind because they don’t know enough, they’re dealing with a moving target that never stops.

That doesn’t mean technical expertise isn’t critical. Of course it is. But many of the difficulties I see don’t come down to engineering know-how. They come from how people work together. Listening properly, planning before acting and being able to pause rather than react immediately are skills that often get lost in the rush of project deadlines. In an ‘always-on’ environment, where decisions are made quickly and information is flying around, the ability to slow down and think is becoming more valuable than ever.

Generational differences play into this too. Newer engineers are comfortable using AI, video resources and digital tools. Other colleagues are more likely to fall back on reading, research and analysis. Neither approach is wrong. The challenge comes when we don’t find ways to bring those strengths together. At Black & White we deliberately put mixed groups into our learning programmes. People from different offices, cultures and generations sit side by side and the conversations that happen in those spaces are often just as important as the content itself.

How learning is delivered also matters. The industry has leaned heavily on e-learning and video modules. They are easy to roll out and can be useful, but they don’t go far enough. Watching a video isn’t the same as building a skill. Skills come from practice, feedback and discussion. They come from trying something, getting it wrong and adjusting. Without that process, knowledge doesn’t stick.

We’ve worked hard to put this principle into practice. Our management development framework now runs across three levels, starting with ‘learning to lead self’ and moving through to advanced leadership. It isn’t just about managing teams. It covers communication, collaboration, self-awareness and influences the capabilities that matter in every interaction with clients and colleagues. We also run client experience training, designed to strengthen the way our people build relationships externally.

On the technical side, our global and regional engineering conferences bring teams together from across regions. The presentations are recorded and stored in a library, so colleagues can revisit them, but we always link each one back to the presenter. That way, if someone wants to ask a follow-up question, they know exactly who to approach. Knowledge-sharing becomes an ongoing conversation, not just a resource on a screen.

Mentoring is another area where we’ve taken a different view. It’s often assumed that mentors need to be the most senior people in the business. We see it differently. A mentor is simply someone who has been there before and sometimes the most helpful perspective comes from someone who has just been through the same stage. Graduates in our Edinburgh office, for example, have mentored work-experience students because their own experiences were fresh and relevant. The act of teaching also helps those graduates strengthen their own skills, so it’s a two-way benefit.

All of this is measured carefully. We track both qualitative and quantitative feedback from our programmes and the results speak for themselves. Our internal surveys show improved line management scores since we launched our training and satisfaction ratings across our courses are consistently well above the industry standard. That’s encouraging but the real proof is in how people use what they’ve learned. Seeing a graduate confidently lead a project meeting, or a senior manager adjust how they listen to clients, tells us the training is effective.

What’s important to recognise is that this isn’t about plugging a single gap or preparing for one future challenge. The sector is in constant motion. Technology shifts, client needs change and industry expectations move with them. Learning strategies must reflect that. They need to be flexible, practical and human.

The central aim is simple: helping people work better together while keeping pace with change. Schools and universities don’t always prepare people for that. They tend to reward individual performance and competition rather than collaboration. Businesses have to fill that space by creating environments where people can learn from each other, practise new skills and understand the impact of their behaviour on those around them.

If we stop framing this as a skills ‘gap’ and start treating it as a skills ‘evolution’, we can take a more honest view of what’s needed. Instead of chasing a finish line that doesn’t exist, the focus shifts to continuous development, making sure our people have what they need today and, crucially, are ready to adapt to what comes tomorrow.