Cris Tolomia
July 29, 2026
Meta, Google, and BlackRock are funding apprenticeship programs and crash courses to staff a data center construction boom with no historical precedent
Meta $META +3.28%, Google $GOOGL +6.73%, and BlackRock $BLK -0.73% are collectively committing more than $265 million to recruit and train electricians, carpenters, and other construction workers to build artificial intelligence data centers across the United States, according to The New York Times.
Meta is putting $115 million toward the first year of what it calls an ongoing, multi-year effort, initially enrolling around 5,000 people in a month-long course — with transportation and housing covered — after which participants move directly onto job sites with Meta contractors. Google’s $50 million pledge is directed at the IBEW and its contractor network, with the goal of growing yearly apprenticeship intake from 19,500 to 30,000 over a three-year period, concentrated in markets Google has identified. BlackRock has contributed $100 million to expand skilled trades training for its data centers in Texas.