The Data Center Alliance, Europe's data center industry standards body, has appointed Rob Coupland, UK managing director of the data center service provider TelecityGroup, to its board of governors.

Coupland’s new position as senior VP for training and skills charges him with ensuring the next generation of skills in the data center industry through engagement with schools, further education and academia, as well as commercial training.

“The data center industry needs to come together to ensure we are investing in the next generation of talent,” Coupland said. “It’s the DCA’s role to ensure that we’re driving progress in this area.

“Data centers are critical to the continued evolution of the digital economy both in the UK and across Europe and it’s only by working with schools and higher education institutes that we’ll be in a position, as an industry, to increase the pool of exceptional workers that we need to support this growth.”

The DCA is a non-profit organization representing the data center industry in the business world, the media, governments and the general public. After playing a central role in its recent graduate “bootcamp” initiative and with education a priority, Coupland will be charged with furthering the success of the association’s “bootcamp” initiative, based at the University of East London's Dockland's campus, and implementing further development and training schemes.

His appointment complements TelecityGroup’s corporate initiatives to facilitate apprenticeships in the technology sector throughout Europe, according to the company.

DCA president Steve Norris said, “Rob has a long and distinguished record within the data center industry and his experience and expertise will prove invaluable as we strive to drive data center training and skills up the industry and political agenda.”