Meta Platforms and associated builders and contractors have launched a $115 million workforce initiative to train skilled data center construction workers as labor shortages emerge as a key challenge in building AI infrastructure.
Meta described the academy as an initial investment of $115 million in the first year that it is fully funding and said participants will earn credentials from the National Center for Construction Education and Research, co-founded by ABC, with training for craft careers that include electrical, mechanical, plumbing, welding and fiber installation.
Called America’s Workforce Academy, the program will begin in Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. Participants accepted into the program will receive a conditional job offer from a contractor working on Meta construction projects before training begins, according to program materials.
Meta and ABC said program participants will receive scholarships, travel assistance, housing and living stipends while completing five weeks of career preparation, safety and craft training.
Contractors that have worked on Meta data centers include Turner Construction Co. and Clayco Inc.
A Meta graduate will receive guaranteed job offers from participating contractors, and the initiative has been called the largest private sector trades training commitment tied to a job guarantee in US history.
“The AI infrastructure we’re building today requires an incredible workforce to make it happen,” said Rachel Peterson, Vice President of Data Centers at Meta. “America’s Workforce Academy is our commitment to building that workforce with the same ambition and long-term thinking that we bring to technology itself.”
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The effort comes as contractors and owners race to add capacity for artificial intelligence computing, cloud services and digital infrastructure. Data center construction spending hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $50.7 billion in April, up 28.1 percent from a year earlier, according to an ABC analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
The shortage of skilled labor remains a persistent challenge in the construction sector. Associated General Contractors of America surveys show that more than 90% of contractors report difficulty finding enough qualified workers to hire.
Brian Turmail, vice president of partnerships and industry image at AGC of America, said the labor shortage is affecting data center construction differently than many other segments of the market because owners are often willing to pay a premium to keep projects on schedule.
“The biggest impact of the construction labor shortage on data center projects is that it has increased labor costs for these types of projects,” Turmail told ENR in an email. “Data center operators are often willing to pay a premium to ensure their projects stay on schedule.”
Those higher wages can trickle down to other sectors, he said, adding that a highway contractor recently told AGC that pay for dump truck drivers in his region had doubled as workers were drawn to nearby data center projects.
Speaking at an Axios event in March, Meta president and vice president Dina Powell McCormick said the U.S. may need roughly 500,000 electricians to support the projected growth of AI infrastructure.
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The academy will operate through the ABC chapter’s training centers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis; and Houston. The locations align with several Meta data center developments that ENR has previously covered.
In Louisiana, Hyperion’s Meta campus in Richland Parish is expected to require more than 5,000 skilled workers at peak construction and has spurred significant investments in public services across the state.
In Indiana, the company is building an $800 million data center in Jeffersonville while advancing plans for a separate $10 billion AI campus near Indianapolis that is expected to have a construction workforce of more than 4,000 people during peak activity. Ohio is home to Meta’s New Albany data center operations, while Texas is home to facilities in Fort Worth and Temple, as well as a recently announced AI data center project in El Paso.
The academy also builds on Meta’s broader workforce development efforts. Real estate and project management firm CBRE serves as Senior Program Officer, overseeing the recruitment, selection, onboarding and training administration of candidates.
Meta said it currently has 27 data centers operating or under construction in the US, and that its data center development program has supported more than 45,000 construction jobs since 2011.
“America needs hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals — electricians, mechanics, fiber technicians and more — and this program creates clear and accessible pathways to those careers,” Peterson said.
