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Panel: data centers fund local training and community programs, including school and workforce initiatives
Summary
Economic-development staff and local partners described how existing data-center tenants support downtown Wi‑Fi, school-bus Wi‑Fi, workforce stipends for job training and a Microsoft-funded data center academy at West Georgia Technical College.
Panelists said data centers have provided direct community benefits in Douglas County, including workforce-development funding, education programs and community services.
Breezy Straiton said Google and other data centers have contributed to local workforce development and community programs, noting examples such as downtown Wi‑Fi and school-bus Wi‑Fi during the pandemic. "They put Wi Fi on school buses with our school system and helped any kid that was virtual learning have access to free Wi Fi," Straiton said.
Staff described workforce programs tied to training and stipends that enable residents to complete multi-week certification programs with placement rates tied to employer partnerships; Microsoft funding was cited for a data-center academy at West Georgia Technical College. Panelists said community-benefit agreements and workforce commitments are negotiated early in recruitment and are part of the county’s approach to ensure mutual benefits.
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