Houston selected for Meta-backed training program tied to AI data centers
Meta and Associated Builders and Contractors have partnered to invest $115 million in training programs for AI data center construction workers. A portion of this initiative will launch in Houston, aiming to address the industry's workforce shortage and provide job opportunities.
Meta and Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) have unveiled a $115 million partnership to launch America's Workforce Academies, designed to train skilled workers for the construction of AI data centers. The program, which includes career readiness, safety instruction, and five weeks of practical education, will begin at ABC training centers in Houston; Indianapolis; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Columbus, Ohio. Graduates of the academies will be guaranteed job offers from contractors involved in Meta's projects.
Dina Powell McCormick, Meta president and vice-chairman, stated that the AI revolution brings both change and historic opportunities, likening the current demand for skilled workers to past eras of national development. Michael Bellaman, ABC president and CEO, emphasized the program's role as an innovative solution to the construction industry's persistent labor shortages. Meta has significant data center operations in Texas, including facilities in El Paso, Fort Worth, and Temple, with a recently announced $10 billion expansion for its El Paso data center. The article also highlights Texas's growing prominence in data center development, with predictions from commercial real estate firms JLL and CBRE that the state, including Houston, could soon rival or surpass Northern Virginia as a leading global data center market.