Schneider Electric opens Leeds Critical Power and Cooling Hub

Schneider Electric has launched its Critical Power and Cooling Hub in Leeds, UK - a brand-new facility to help customers, channel partners and engineers gain dedicated training for its data centre, power and cooling solutions.

Launched as part of its Leeds Innovation Hub in the North of England, the opening represents the next step in the rapid expansion of Schneider Electric’s recently launched Schneider Electric Training programme for the UK and Ireland (UK&I), and follows the announcement of its new £42 million manufacturing facility in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

The new Critical Power and Cooling Hub will provide customers and partners with a direct access point into the vast array of training options and demonstration resources available within Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centre Solutions portfolio.

It includes an extensive training program that covers innovations in three-phase uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), data centre physical infrastructure, cooling and energy management solutions, as well as a comprehensive view of the latest safety standards and energy efficiency regulations impacting the industry.

Training will be delivered via Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accredited courses, and two similar training centres in Telford and Coventry are already up and running, with the Critical Power and Cooling Hub in Leeds being one of a further three scheduled to be launched by the end of 2025.

“At Schneider Electric we recognise the urgent action needed to address the skills gap across the data centre, power and engineering sectors here in the UK and Ireland, and directly within the North of England, which has become a key area of expansion and growth for digital infrastructure organisations,” said Mark Yeeles, VP Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric UK and Ireland. “Through our new Critical Power and Cooling Hub, we’re helping to decentralise the skill sets needed to build the grids and AI data centres of the future, and creating a progressive training facility that is perfectly placed to support innovation and career opportunities in the Northwest.”

Building the workforce of the future

Research from the Uptime Institute found that the data centre industry will require 300,000 full-time employee equivalents by 2025, while a recent report from the Energy Union found that 69% of workers report tangible skills shortages and gaps in their organisation. Upskilling, cross-skilling and engaging professionals from a host of industries will be vital to address these workforce challenges.

Schneider Electric’s investment in the new Critical Power and Cooling Hub is a natural next step towards helping to build the data centre workforce of the future, and through the new training facility, it is providing a dedicated pathway to help upskill, cross-skill, and engage a new generation of industry professionals - directly addressing the endemic skills shortages within the data centre and power sectors.

“Power, cooling and sustainability engineers all have specialist knowledge and expertise, which are critical to the installation, safety, and maintenance of large-scale electrical and digital infrastructure systems,” said Louisa Buckley, Sales Manager, Mid-Markets, Secure Power Division, Schneider Electric. “We believe that our new Critical Power and Cooling Hub in Leeds represents a synergistic approach to training and product demonstration, and will provide an excellent opportunity for customers, partners and early careers to experience world-class, demonstration facilities and gain valuable insight into the world’s most critical sectors.”