Schneider Electric has announced the availability of the Data Centre Certified Associate (DCCA) online certification program through Energy University. The DCCA certification program provides data centre professionals with exposure to current and emerging industry trends and practices that improve their professional credentials and credibility.

The DCCA certification program provides foundational knowledge relevant to designing or upgrading the physical data centre, including power, cooling, racks, cabling, fire protection, management, and physical security. The development path is created to guide users through the preparation and course requirements necessary to prepare for the Data Centre Certified Associate exam. There are 14 courses in the path, and each of the courses takes less than an hour to complete. Once the courses are complete, the user can easily take the exam, which was previously only offered through a physical testing centre, through their Energy University account. Additionally, the certification provides a global standard for determining an individual’s core knowledge of data centre design, build, and operations.

“Globally there is a high demand for skilled data centre professionals and the challenges facing this industry in terms of growth, infrastructure, and management underscore this certification’s value,” says Paul Tyrer, Pacific Vice President, Schneider Electric IT .

“Energy University provides a smart, convenient way to expand skill sets and improve on-the-job performance with certifications for professionals in industries such as data centre, energy management and more.”

The overall education program that started with Data Centre University has provided energy efficiency education courses to professionals in over 165 countries and 13 languages since 2006. Currently Energy University has more than 350,000 users globally and more than 500,000 courses have been taken. Additionally the programs feature more than 22 global industry endorsements.

The DCCA online certification program is now the second qualifying exam available online through Energy University. In October 2012, Energy University launched the Professional Energy Manager (PEM) exam, in partnership with the Institute of Energy Professionals (IEP), to give energy-focused individuals an option for earning credentials in the growing energy management field. Since the launch, more than 60 professionals from 26 countries have been certified through the program.