The next AI career path could start with a hard hat, not a laptop.
Meta said Monday it is investing a $115 million in a roughly 5-week program aimed at fast-tracking careers in the skilled trades as it looks to build out data centers to support its massive AI ambitions.
Called “America’s Workforce Academy,” it’s a free initiative that supports participants while they learn and then guarantees a job for all graduates, the tech giant said. It will initially launch in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas this year.
No prior experience is required, and Meta said every graduate will leave with a verified, industry-standard credential in fields such as electrical work, mechanical systems, and plumbing.
The move comes after Meta announced in April a four-week training program for new fiber technicians set to begin this summer. Meta said that initiative, called Level-Up, received 35,000 applications in the first seven days.
Meta’s new workforce initiatives show the AI boom is creating a scramble for people who can build and operate the physical infrastructure behind the technology. Even as tech companies trim their white-collar workforces, they are increasingly competing for electricians, fiber technicians, and other skilled tradespeople.
“Despite all the rhetoric about automation, AI still depends on a massive human workforce,” said Chris Kaufman, a cofounder of the e-commerce giant StockX and a leadership consultant. “The future may be more automated, but somebody still has to build the data centers, run the fiber, and keep the lights on.”
High demand for hard hats
In 2025, permits were issued for 176 new data centers across 34 states — the most new permits in one year since the first was issued in 1976, Business Insider previously reported. Meanwhile, the construction industry needs an estimated 349,000 new workers this year to meet demand, according to Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group.
“Many Americans face a Catch-22, they need training to get a new higher paying job, but they can’t go without pay to attend a training course,” wrote Gina Raimondo, former US Secretary of Commerce, on X. Meta’s new workforce academy “aims to solve this problem with paid apprenticeships and credentials that lead to actual, available good jobs.”
Also on AI-hungry employers’ most-wanted lists: people who can safeguard these centers. Job postings that mention “physical security” and “data centers” have nearly quadrupled since early 2020, Business Insider previously reports.
It’s unclear how long these new data center jobs Meta is looking to fill will last. Data centers generally do not create large numbers of permanent, full-time jobs in local economies, Business Insider previously reported. Researchers at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business found that once a large data center is completed and up and running, its on-site workforce drops by an average of 78%.
Last month, Meta laid off roughly 10% of its 78,000 employees, citing a “continued effort to run the company more efficiently” and to help it offset its other investments. Meta is pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into its AI ambitions and weaving the technology throughout its apps, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
Meta is also keeping tabs on its own employees’ AI usage. The company installed new software in April on its US workers’ computers that tracks their keystrokes and mouse movements to train its AI. The move sparked internal backlash, Business Insider previously reported.
