Meta, ABC Form Partnership to Launch Academy to Train and Create Jobs for Construction Craft Professionals

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 9 — Meta Platforms Inc. and Associated Builders and Contractors have announced a partnership to educate and provide construction-ready career pathways for thousands of data center construction technicians, kicking off in Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio and Texas as a meaningful step toward meeting the growing demand for data center workers nationwide.

America’s Workforce Academy is a $115 million investment in the next generation of construction professionals that includes a five-week training program and a job offer from contractors working on Meta projects at the conclusion of the program. Once an online application process is complete, scholarships, travel, housing and stipends for living expenses are granted to qualified job seekers. They will then participate in career readiness and safety training followed by five weeks of hands-on education, which includes core training and craft training.

The announcement was made in Washington, D.C., where Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick and craftsman and workforce advocate Mike Rowe joined ABC leadership to celebrate the investment.

“The AI revolution is bringing change but also historic opportunities,” said Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick. “Skilled workers electrified rural America one pole at a time. They manned the factories that built the arsenal that won World War II. Now a new generation will pour the foundations and lay the fiber that secures American strength in this new age.”

“America’s Workforce Academy is a transformational endeavor creating incredible construction-ready careers. ABC is proud to work with Meta, CBRE and academy community partners to welcome all who want to build their career dreams as a professional in construction,” said Michael Bellaman, ABC president and CEO. “As an industry leader, ABC believes in creating opportunities for all on a level playing field and is ready to meet the industry’s needs and help individuals achieve their career dreams. ABC is honored to partner with Meta to expand the pipeline of data center construction workers.”

Michele Roberts-Bauer, president and CEO of ABC Heart of America said, “The demand for skilled construction professionals is real, and it is growing every day. Through ABC’s proven training infrastructure and this extraordinary investment from Meta, we have a real opportunity to connect job seekers across the country with careers that are stable, well-paying and built to last.

The initial America’s Workforce Academy pilot locations are focused on Indiana Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. The program’s scalable model is designed to grow into new markets as demand increases.

The America’s Workforce Academy partnership will:

• Build a Sustainable Talent Pipeline: Establish scalable, repeatable workforce development models that align industry, training providers and workforce systems to meet ongoing demand.
• Deliver Accelerated, Job-Ready Training: Provide standardized, industry-aligned training that equips participants with the skills, safety knowledge and jobsite readiness needed to contribute quickly and effectively.
• Ensure Safety and Productivity From Day One: Prepare participants to meet industry and project-specific safety standards and contribute productively on the jobsite from the outset.

“The sustained demand for data center construction technicians means the industry needs an all-of-the-above approach to address this shortage and grow the construction talent pool,” said Bellaman. “This important new partnership reaffirms that the construction industry offers careers of choice in today’s complex job market. These new entrants may be beginning their careers on data center projects but by learning multiple competencies, are starting a life-long career in construction with near limitless possibilities.”

ABC member contractors are building the people who build America’s critical infrastructure by investing in flexible, competency-based and market-driven education methodologies to cultivate their long-term skill sets, creating a brighter future for their workers and their families. They deliver long-lasting projects and employ multicraft professionals who go home safe, healthy and fulfilled every day. ABC and its members are working to recruit, educate and upskill the nation’s future construction workforce with a network of more than 800 apprenticeship, craft, safety and management education programs, including 450 government-registered apprenticeship programs, across 20 different occupations.

“Thanks to the crucial, established team members of ABC’s vast network, which includes the National Center for Construction Education and Research, ABC’s 67 chapters, ABC strategic partners and ABC business partners, as well as ABC’s Tech Alliance, we are ready to deliver this transformational construction career readiness program across the country,” said Bellaman.

If you want to help build America’s future, apply to America’s Workforce Academy today.