Meta launches $115M academy to train AI data-center trades

Meta will spend $115 million to create America’s Workforce Academy, a free training program that guarantees job placement for workers who build AI data centers. The company plans a pilot this year in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana and Texas. The academy aims to train electricians, mechanics, fiber technicians and other tradespeople involved in data-center construction.

Meta will cover participant costs and says graduates will be placed in jobs after completing the program. The company has not disclosed how many positions will be available, which employers will hire graduates, whether roles will be unionized, or whether placements will be long-term operations jobs or primarily short-term construction assignments. Meta said the $115 million is intended to fund the pilot’s first year across the four states.

Meta has reported the United States lacks hundreds of thousands of skilled trades workers needed to support data-center and AI infrastructure growth. Rachel Peterson, Meta’s vice president for data centers, wrote that filling those gaps requires the same long-term planning Meta applies to its AI projects and that the infrastructure “requires an incredible workforce to make it a reality.”

The investment accompanies a companywide shift toward AI. Meta cut about 10% of its workforce, roughly 8,000 roles, while outlining plans to spend between $125 billion and $145 billion this year on AI infrastructure and data centers; the academy’s $115 million commitment is a small portion of that planned spending.

Meta will operate the academy with partners including the National Urban League, the Associated Builders and Contractors and CBRE. The program will use ABC’s existing education network. Michael Bellaman, ABC’s chief executive, described the need for a broad strategy to grow the construction talent pool.

A prior fiber-installation training program attracted about 35,000 applications in its first week, showing high interest in infrastructure training. Industry estimates indicate a large data-center build can require roughly 1,800 workers during construction and about 100 staff to operate a facility after it opens.

Dina Powell McCormick, Meta president and vice chair, called the AI transition “bringing change but also historic opportunities.” Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, has also spoken about potential gains for trade workers in the AI era.

Details such as enrollment limits, curriculum length and employer commitments remain unspecified. Local officials, construction firms and labor groups in the four states will monitor the pilot as Meta begins implementation.