New workforce training program comes as skilled trades demand surges due to rise of data centres
Meta is launching a free workforce training program focused on skilled trades, as it cited the growing need for these workers amid expanding AI infrastructure.
The program, called America's Workforce Academy (AWA), has an initial $115 million investment from Meta, and will launch this year in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas as the pilot locations.
It will be opened to qualified veterans, recent graduates, career changers, and other new entrants to the trades with no prior experience required.
Meta will shoulder the costs, with its partners to provide candidates with tuition, airfare, lodging, and a daily stipend during training.
"Every graduate will leave with a verified, industry-standard credential in high-demand fields, such as electrical work, mechanical systems, and plumbing," Meta said on its website.
Graduates are also guaranteed a job after finishing the five-week course, as Meta underscores the US labour market's need for skilled trade workers, such as fibre technicians, welders, plumbers, and electricians, amid the ongoing AI revolution.
"The AI infrastructure we're building today requires an incredible workforce to make it a reality," said Rachel Peterson, Vice President, Data Centers, Meta.
"America's Workforce Academy is our commitment to building that workforce with the same ambition and long-term thinking we bring to the technology itself. America needs hundreds of thousands of skilled tradespeople – electricians, mechanics, fibre technicians, and more – and this program creates clear, accessible pathways into those careers."
Among Meta's partners for the AWA are the National Urban League, the Associated Builders and Contractors, and CBRE. Community partners include the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, STRIVE, Boone County Economic Development Corporation (IN), Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce (LA), Workforce Solutions Borderplex (TX), and Ohio Chamber of Commerce (OH).
"We are excited to serve as a key partner for Meta on the management of America's Workforce Academy – from candidate intake and qualification to hands-on training, in collaboration with the Associated Builders and Contractors," said Bob Sulentic, CBRE chair and CEO.
"In this role, we are leveraging the full scope and expertise of CBRE to recruit, train, and deploy thousands of skilled workers who will support Meta in building out their AI infrastructure."
Rise of AI data centres
The United States is seeing a surge in AI-linked infrastructure amid the surging adoption of AI tools. Research from the American Edge Project revealed that data-centre construction jumped nearly 69% from May 2023 to May 2024.
According to the research, a typical data centre project employs roughly 1,600 to 1,700 local workers during build-out.
The rise of data centres is also expected to drive the US semiconductor workforce by about 33% through 2030. Another 3.8 to 4.6 million jobs are also estimated to be generated for the development of fibre and mid-band networks linking data centres.
Once operational, data centres are also expected to support hundreds of permanent jobs per site, from network engineers and cybersecurity specialists to logistics, facilities, and maintenance teams.
"Data centres also create employment in transportation, real estate, retail, and hospitality as local communities expand to support this innovation infrastructure and its workforce," the report read.
"When companies build out data centers and AI infrastructure, it sets off a chain reaction that touches everything from construction to manufacturing to local retail… these investments are reshaping the U.S. economy in ways that matter for communities, workers, and policymakers alike," said Candi Clouse, vice president of customer success, IMPLAN, in the report.
