Meta launches $115M skilled trades academy with guaranteed jobs for graduates in 4 STATES

Meta launches $115M skilled trades academy with guaranteed jobs for graduates in 4 STATES America's Workforce Academy will pilot in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana and Texas amid a national shortage of tradespeople The company is starting a "workforce academy" to train Americans to build its data centers as skilled trade workers become a sought-after commodity. The five-year plan The United States labor market needs hundreds of thousands of fiber technicians, welders, plumbers, electricians and other skilled trade workers. At Meta, we see this as an incredible opportunity for these American heroes to power America's future. The growth of data centers across the U.S. has spurred a strong uptick in demand for skilled workers, particularly electricians and HVAC technicians to lay the infrastructure for facilities that require extensive power and precise heating-and-cooling systems. According to estimates from Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry needs to add an estimated 349,000 net new workers this year alone to meet demand. Meta joins a growing crowd of companies that have realized there is a dearth of skilled workers in the U.S. and are trying to encourage people to enter the field. • Meta is launching America's Workforce Academy (AWA): a nationwide, unprecedented fast-track to a long-term career in a skilled trade, powered by an initial $115 million first year investment. • A cost-free program that supports all participants while they learn and then guarantees a job for all graduates. • Graduates earn both the industry-recognized National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) credential and an America's Workforce Certificate, both designed to travel with the worker across employers and industry sectors. • This is the largest private-sector commitment to the skilled trades with a job guarantee in American history.