More than $200M being invested in skills trades, with pilot programs in key states

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

More than $200 million is being invested in skills trades career training programs nationwide as major corporations continue their race to develop artificial intelligence technology and data centers. Pilot programs are being established in key states, including in Texas where a technology boom is underway.

One $115 million initiative has been launched by Facebook’s parent company, Meta. Another $100 million is being invested by Blackrock.

Roughly three weeks after laying off 8,000 employees, Meta announced it is launching a new $115 million workforce training program in four pilot cities.

It launched “America’s Workforce Academy” for qualified veterans, recent graduates and others interested in skills trade careers. No prior experience is required; Meta is paying for all costs. Operating partners are administering the program, including covering tuition, airfare and lodging costs as well as daily stipends during training, it says.

The goal is to advance skilled trades and help participants earn National Center for Construction Education and Research credentials and certifications, it says.

It’s chosen four pilot cities to launch the program: Houston; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Columbus, Ohio.

Last month, Meta laid off 10% of its workforce, claiming it was part of a restructuring effort as it refocuses on artificial intelligence initiatives. That was its third round of layoffs this year; another 7,000 employees are being transitioned into new AI-focused roles, CNBC reported.

Meta created the workforce academy because the U.S. labor market “needs hundreds of thousands of fiber technicians, welders, plumbers, electricians and other skilled trade workers,” it says, adding it’s “an incredible opportunity for these American heroes to power America’s future. Every graduate will leave with a verified, industry-standard credential in high-demand fields such as electrical work, mechanical systems and plumbing.”

Meta’s $115 million investment is “the largest private-sector commitment to the skilled trades with a job guarantee in American history,” it says.

The Texas legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott have prioritized state funding for skills trade and workforce development programs. Millions of dollars in grants are announced nearly every week by region, including funds for job training programs, paid internships and apprenticeships by trade.

Meta’s workforce academy is also supporting its LevelUp initiative, also launched this year. It provides “free, rapid training for thousands of Americans with no prior experience” to become fiber technicians to support AI development.

“The future of the AI revolution depends on a highly skilled US workforce – one that rises to the challenge of building and maintaining the complex systems that power innovation,” Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick said.

Meta currently operates, and is building, 27 data centers nationwide.

Its workforce initiative is partnering with the National Urban League, Associated Builders and Contractors, the National Center for Construction Education and Research and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In the four pilot cities, it’s partnering with the Boone County Economic Development Corporation in Indiana, the Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce in Louisiana, Workforce Solutions Borderplex in El Paso, Texas, and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

BlackRock also announced a $100 million Future Builders initiative designed to train 50,000 workers in the skilled trades, including electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers and ironworkers.

“America needs an estimated $10 trillion in infrastructure investment by 2033 to modernize aging systems and build new energy, digital, and AI infrastructure. Capital alone is not enough – people are central to building our nation’s future,” BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink said.

Roughly one third of the $100 million is being invested in Texas. The Future Builders Initiative is partnering with the Texas State Technical College and unions, including the Independent Electrical Contractors of Dallas and the Electrical Training Alliance, a joint training program with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Electrical Contractors Association.

The investments are being made as the greatest number of data centers are planned to be built in Texas, more than 140, The Center Square reported. State lawmakers and residents have expressed alarm about data center development draining water and electricity resources and taxpayers and rate payers being saddled with unprecedented costs.