Louisiana Delta Community College has launched a Data Center Technician program to prepare local residents for jobs at Meta’s new data center in Richland Parish. The facility, known as Hyperion, is reported to be the company’s largest-ever data center. The four-week training course, which costs nearly $3,700, provides students with certificates and technical skills required for the expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure sector.
The project comes as tech companies and the U.S. government increase investments in national AI infrastructure. Meta stated that the construction site will host over 7,500 trade workers at its peak and will support 1,000 permanent operational jobs once the facility is finished. Residents in the region, which lacks a state minimum wage law and relies heavily on agriculture, have sought the program as a means to secure higher-paying local employment.
Instruction at the college’s West Monroe and Winnsboro campuses includes hands-on training in fiber optic cable splicing, equipment operation, and workplace safety. The program’s inaugural class graduated in March, with all 11 students receiving job offers from IES Communications, a contractor for the Meta project. According to Dan McCarty, the college’s director of Workforce Trades, the program now produces approximately 24 graduates per month and maintains a backlog of applicants ranging in age from high school graduates to 60-year-olds.
The scale of the project involves infrastructure investment and thousands of personnel. Meta reports that 7,500 trade workers will be needed during the peak construction phase, followed by 1,000 long-term roles. For workers who previously left the region to find technical jobs in states like Texas, the presence of the facility allows them to remain local. The skills taught, such as fiber optic splicing and data center maintenance, are also transferable to IT departments at banks and other institutions.
The long-term impact on the community remains a subject of debate among residents. While the project brings new employment opportunities and an influx of construction workers to the rural parish, some residents expressed concerns regarding environmental impacts and disruptions to daily life. The college plans to expand its course offerings to meet the high demand for training. The specific completion date for the Hyperion data center was not reported, but contractors are hiring graduates as they complete the four-week certification cycles.