Entering the professional world can be daunting for newcomers. That’s why, as part of Yondr’s commitment to the Digital Futures programme, several Yondr-ites guided UTC students around the Data Centre World conference in London to help them explore the digital infrastructure industry and strengthen their networking skills.

To make the most of the day, the students were given a set of tasks to complete with their mentor, that helped them learn about a diverse range of companies, enabling them to develop a better understanding of topics like cloud, AI, infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Yondr mentors, Vijay Bedarkar, Ross McConnell and Eugene Murray, worked alongside other Digital Futures’ volunteers to boost students’ confidence and enhance their communication skills to complete each task in hopes of finding out about the wide range of jobs and career paths within the digital infrastructure sector.

The conference was a great chance for networking, with many students doing their homework on companies beforehand and connecting with people via LinkedIn during the conference. This event and the overall programme are important for addressing the skills and labour gap in the industry.

“Digital Futures helps students from underrepresented communities gain insight into the digital infrastructure sector and the world of work”, says Eugene Murray, Senior Development Manager-EMEA at Yondr. “For some of the students it was their first trip into London and their first experience in a corporate environment, so it was great to see their confidence grow throughout each day.”

Of course, no conference is complete without a swag bag. So Yondr contributed branded merchandise including socks, headphones and phone popsockets as rewards for the students. Along with their bag of goodies, students came away with a clear understanding of the types of roles available in the data center industry, inspiring them to consider a future in the sector after they graduate.

“It was encouraging to see such a diverse group of young people with so much potential. Developing future talent is very important to us at Yondr so it was fantastic that we could help these students thrive in this kind of environment ” Paul Hood, COO-Global Data Center Operations at Yondr.