Meta, Google invest in skilled worker training to build Virginia data centers
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Meta and Google both recently announced multi-million dollar investments in training programs for skilled trade workers to build the data center workforce they need.
Why it matters: Meta has a data center in Henrico and Google has three in the works in Chesterfield.
State of play: Meta is investing $115 million in its new America's Workforce Academy, a four-week training program that promises a guaranteed job at the end, Axios' Madison Mills reports.
- It's free for participants and aims to address the shortage in skilled trade workers, including fiber technicians, welders, plumbers, electricians and more.
- The academies are in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana and Texas, but Meta will cover tuition, airfare, lodging and a daily stipend for participants, per the company.
- Participants will decide on a specialization at the end of the program and will be paired with one of Meta's general contractors on a construction site.
Meanwhile, Google is committing $50 million to help train more than 300,000 skilled trade workers, Mills reports.
- Their work will support 14 labor unions and four trade and contractor associations — including the Richmond Electricians' Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee — with a focus on the kind of work that goes into building and maintaining data centers.
- The company hopes to add 2,741 electrical apprentices in Virginia by 2030, which would increase the state's projected pipeline of electricians by around 135%, per Google.
Between the lines: Both announcement reflects a growing realization among tech companies that labor availability may become a major bottleneck for AI expansion.
- An estimated 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled nationally by 2030, according to industry projections cited by Google in the announcement.
The bottom line: If you're looking for a well-paying job that's likely insulated from AI disruption, a career in data centers could be the move for you.