By Doug Kelly:
In the movies, “if you build it, they will come.” In the real economy, somebody has to do the building first, and right now America is running short of the people who can.
America holds the lead in compute power (chip and data centers) in the U.S.-China race for artificial intelligence (AI). But we trail Beijing in electricity generation and transmission, adoption, and talent. In fact, our country faces a half-million-person shortage of skilled trades workers – the welders, electricians, plumbers, and fiber technicians we need to build AI infrastructure, expand our housing stock, fill manufacturing jobs, and more.
Maintaining America’s AI advantage depends on whether we can build fast enough. That means investing not only in data centers, energy and advanced technology, but also in the American workers who will bring that infrastructure online.
Without addressing that talent shortage, America will fall short of its ambitions. That is why investments in training and preparing America’s workforce, including and importantly Meta’s announcement yesterday to create America’s Workforce Academy, matters so much right now.
As an example, this new program trains people for exactly these jobs, and it removes the barriers that usually keep them out of reach. The training is free. The five-week bootcamp pays for housing and airfare, and every graduate receives a guaranteed job offer with one of Meta’s contractor partners once they finish.
Graduates walk away with industry-recognized credentials they can carry to any employer, in any sector. The skills taught, including electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and fiber installation, are in demand far beyond data centers. The program launched in four states, including Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, and Indiana.
What sets this program apart is who it reaches. Too many Americans are caught in a Catch-22: they need training to land a better job, but they cannot afford to go without a paycheck to get it. America’s Workforce Academy breaks that cycle. Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and a partner in the effort, said, “At a time when too many Americans are searching for pathways to stable, family-supporting careers, this initiative opens doors, particularly for communities who historically have been excluded from opportunity.”
By supporting training for skilled trades, fiber technicians, electricians and construction professionals, American technology companies are strengthening the workforce foundation needed to keep the United States ahead in the AI race.
Investments in people, such as Meta’s announcement, is about upskilling local talent to build America’s future, whether in AI, housing, or other construction. It’s a bet on the American worker and their unmatched ability to build the future. An Athens, Ohio, resident trained through this program to electrify data centers now has a skill they can carry the rest of their life.
That’s what makes AI America’s modern-day moonshot moment. It catalyzes innovation, job creation and training, investment, and urgency toward building a stronger, more competitive America, and better opportunities for our country’s working families.
The companies racing to build America’s AI future cannot do it alone. They need a skilled workforce ready to pour the foundations and lay the fiber. Meta is showing one way to build that workforce, and others should follow.
Americans interested in applying can sign up here.