Building the digital infrastructure workforce

Beyond the build: Fostering skills for the digital infrastructure economy

By Tatu Tuominen, Director of Public Affairs and Communications

Technical education has long been treated as a secondary pathway: valuable but often overshadowed by academic routes. Yet the industries shaping our future increasingly depend on practical expertise, hands‑on learning, and the kind of technical excellence that vocational training delivers. As demand for digital services, AI, and critical infrastructure accelerates, the conversation around skills is finally beginning to shift. 

Recently, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for Britain to “value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap”. His comments reflect a broader recognition across Europe: technical education is not simply an alternative to university. It is a foundation for economic growth, resilience, and innovation. The question now is not whether technical education deserves greater recognition, because it certainly does. The more important question is whether we are preparing people for the industries of yesterday, or the infrastructure that will define tomorrow.

The rise of the digital infrastructure workforce

The global economy will continue to rely on construction, engineering, and manufacturing. Increasingly; however, it also depends on something less visible but equally essential: digital infrastructure as the critical layer between traditional industries and AI‑powered transformation. 

Every AI model, financial transaction, healthcare application, and cloud service relies on secure, resilient data centers. They have become foundational infrastructure for modern society, underpinning innovation across almost every industry. Yet there is a growing gap between technical education and the skills required for careers in digital infrastructure. The skills required to build and operate modern data centers are not only specialized, but they are also becoming business‑critical. 

Today’s infrastructure economy looks very different from the traditional image of technical work. Modern data centers require expertise in electrical engineering, power systems, cooling technologies, mechanical engineering, computer networking, cybersecurity, fiber connectivity, automation, facilities management, and digital construction. Many of these roles blend practical engineering with digital skills, demanding people who can work across disciplines and adapt to rapidly evolving technologies. 

As AI adoption accelerates and demand for digital infrastructure grows, these specialist skills will become essential to Europe’s competitiveness. Education systems must evolve quickly enough to meet this need. Rather than viewing technical education solely through the lens of traditional industries, we have an opportunity to build pathways into the sectors that will underpin economic growth for decades to come. 

Infrastructure creates more than infrastructure 

Discussions around data centers often focus on energy demand or computing capacity. Less attention is given to their wider economic contribution. 

Every new data center development creates employment during planning, construction, and operation – supporting local supply chains, specialist contractors, engineering firms, and service providers. Modern facilities also create long-term technical roles that remain within the municipality – roles in critical operations, electrical systems, mechanical maintenance, network engineering, and digital infrastructure management. 

While data centers are sometimes viewed as low‑employment infrastructure, the reality is very different. They can generate hundreds of jobs across construction, specialist contracting and operations, while creating additional employment through local procurement and services. This approach reflects atNorth’s commitment to building long‑term regional value, not just facilities. 

atNorth’s Nordic sites contribute to local employment across engineering, operations, construction, security, and services, alongside indirect economic activity generated through suppliers, contractors, and heat‑reuse partners. Strong digital infrastructure also makes regions more attractive to businesses looking to invest, expand, or develop AI capabilities. In turn, that creates opportunities across sectors – from software development and life sciences to advanced manufacturing and research. 

Investing in digital infrastructure is also an investment in regional competitiveness.

Connecting education to local opportunity 

One of the greatest opportunities for education is strengthening the connection between learning and local economic need – particularly in digital infrastructure. 

As new data center developments emerge across Europe, education providers can work alongside industry to develop programs that reflect genuine workforce demand.  

atNorth has begun early engagement at development stage with schools, colleges, and universities around projects such as SWE04 and DEN02, exploring opportunities for future apprenticeships, technical pathways, and work‑based learning aligned to the skills required in modern data‑center operations.  

Students should be able to see a clear pathway from the classroom to meaningful, skilled careers in industries that are growing – not just today, but for decades ahead. Equally, employers have a responsibility to help shape those pathways by engaging with education providers, supporting apprenticeships, offering work placements, and helping define the skills future industries will require. 

Redefining what a modern hard hat represents 

The hard hat has traditionally symbolized practical expertise, technical excellence, and careers that create lasting value. Today, those careers are evolving, where the hard hat is just as likely to belong to an engineer commissioning critical power systems, a technician maintaining high-density AI infrastructure, or a specialist ensuring resilient digital connectivity. 

As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly central to economic growth, resilience, and innovation, our education systems need to reflect that reality. Building the infrastructure of tomorrow will require more than investment in land, power, and technology; it will require investment in the people and skills Europe needs for the future. 

Giving technical education the recognition it deserves is an important first step. Ensuring it equips people with the skills needed to design, build, and operate the digital infrastructure that underpins modern society is the opportunity that follows. Ultimately, building the digital economy starts with building the workforce behind it.