Compass Datacenters and Meridian Community College Launch Mississippi's First Data Center Workforce Training Program

MERIDIAN, Miss. — On Friday, July 31, Compass Datacenters and Meridian Community College (MCC) will launch Mississippi's first Mechanical, Electrical and Information Technology (MEI) Data Center Pathway Program, creating a local workforce pipeline for one of the country's fastest-growing industries. Modeled after the successful program Compass founded in Red Oak, Texas, the 14-week pathway provides hands-on training for careers supporting modern data centers and Compass Datacenters' planned $10 billion Meridian campus. Compass is funding full-tuition scholarships for the inaugural cohort, which begins this fall.

WHEN & WHERE:

Friday, July 31, 2026, 10:30 a.m.

Meridian Community College, Riley Workforce Development Center, 1524 Highway 19 North, Meridian, MS

WHO:

Sudhir Kalra, fellow and chief advisor for Data Center Operations, Compass Datacenters

Dr. Tom Huebner, president, Meridian Community College

State, county and city leadership including Percy Bland (Mayor, City of Meridian) and Josh Todd (President, Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors)

Compass Datacenters and Meridian Community College leadership

Nine industry partners supporting the MEI program, including RK Industries, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Vertiv, Allied Universal, Convergint, Rosendin, Salute and Shermco

Students, educators and workforce development stakeholders

WHAT:

Official launch announcement for the MEI Data Center Pathway Program at Meridian Community College, welcoming the inaugural cohort ahead of classes beginning this fall. The July 31 launch celebration will be followed by a community career fair at MCC's Riley Workforce Development Center designed to connect local residents with employers across the skilled trades and data center industry. The career fair will take place between 3 and 7 p.m. on July 31 and 8 a.m. to noon on Aug. 1.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:

Interviews with Sudhir Kalra, Dr. Tom Huebner, Mayor Percy Bland and Josh Todd, before and after the launch event

Coverage of Mississippi's first dedicated data center workforce training program

Workforce development and skilled trades storytelling opportunities

Photography and video opportunities with students, educators and industry partners

Local economic development and talent pipeline stories tied to Meridian's growing digital infrastructure sector

Photos and b-roll will be available upon request

Media planning to attend are asked to RSVP in advance to ensure access and interview coordination.

America Is Short 6 Million Skilled Workers by 2030. A New Training Program in Meridian Is Building the Pipeline.

The digital economy runs on physical infrastructure, but the people who build and operate it are in critically short supply. The U.S. already has 500,000 unfilled trade jobs annually and is facing a projected 6 million worker shortfall by 2030. In Mississippi, structural workforce challenges including skilled trades shortages and competition for talent from other large industrial projects make localized workforce development programs increasingly essential.

A new workforce program aimed at closing that gap is launching in Meridian, Mississippi.

Compass Datacenters and Meridian Community College are creating Mississippi's first Mechanical, Electrical and Information Technology (MEI) Data Center Pathway Program: 14-weeks of training that prepares people without a four-year degree or prior industry experience for high-demand technical careers in the data centers that power the digital economy – everything from cloud computing and enterprise applications to AI.

This new program will:

Place graduates into mechanical, electrical, and IT roles paying 30-50 percent above local median wages, with pathways into six-figure careers

Feed a hiring pipeline supported by nine industry partners: RK Industries, Schneider Electric, Siemens, Vertiv, Allied Universal, Convergint, Rosendin, Salute and Shermco

Train students on the same enterprise-grade power, cooling and IT systems used in live data center environments

Support the long-term workforce needs tied to Compass Datacenters' planned $10 billion, eight-data-center Meridian campus

Offer a natural transition pathway for veterans, whose mechanical, electrical, and mission-critical skillsets align closely with data center operations roles

The launch event will take place at MCC's Riley Workforce Development Center, followed by a community career fair on from 3 to 7 p.m. on July 31 and 8 a.m. to noon on Aug. 1 to connect local residents with employers across the skilled trades and data center industry.