Meta Invests $115 Million in Skilled Trades Pipeline with Job-Guaranteed Workforce Academy
Key Highlights
- Meta is investing $115 million to launch a skilled trades training program with guaranteed jobs for graduates
- Future plumbers, electricians, and welders will receive free training and nationally recognized credentials
- Pilot programs will launch in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas to help address critical workforce shortages
Meta, the parent company of FaceBook, is making a major investment in the future of the skilled trades with the launch of America’s Workforce Academy (AWA), a new workforce development initiative backed by an initial $115 million first-year investment.
Designed as a fast-track pathway into high-demand skilled trades careers, the tuition-free program will provide participants with training, support services, industry-recognized credentials, and guaranteed employment opportunities upon graduation. The program will launch pilot operations in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas.
Program Aims to Address Growing Demand for Plumbing and Skilled Trades Workers
The initiative comes as contractors across the country continue to face persistent workforce shortages in essential trades, including plumbing, electrical, welding, fiber installation, and other construction-related occupations.
The nation’s labor market needs hundreds of thousands of additional skilled trades professionals to support ongoing infrastructure development, technology expansion, and economic growth.
America’s Workforce Academy is intended to help bridge that gap by creating a direct pipeline from training to employment, providing participants with both practical skills and recognized credentials that can support long-term career growth.
Graduates Earn Portable Industry Credentials
Participants who complete the program will earn both a National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) credential and an America’s Workforce Certificate.
The credentials are designed to be portable across employers and industry sectors, allowing graduates to build careers that can evolve as workforce needs change.
Meta says the program will support participants throughout the training process and guarantee employment opportunities for graduates, making it one of the largest workforce development commitments focused on the skilled trades.
National Partnerships Support Workforce Development Effort
Meta is partnering with several workforce and industry organizations to launch the initiative, including the National Urban League, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), and Global Commercial Real Estate Services (CBRE).
Additional community partners include the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, STRIVE, Boone County Economic Development Corporation in Indiana, Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce in Louisiana, Workforce Solutions Borderplex in Texas, and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Building on Strong Demand for Skilled Trades Careers
The launch builds on the success of Meta’s previous workforce initiative, Level-Up, a fiber installation training program that attracted more than 35,000 applications during its first week.
Meta leaders say the overwhelming response highlighted growing interest in skilled trades careers and reinforced the need for additional pathways into the workforce.
By combining no-cost training, industry credentials, and guaranteed employment opportunities, America’s Workforce Academy is designed to help address labor shortages while creating new career opportunities for future plumbers, electricians, welders, and other skilled trades professionals.
Reactions
Dina Powell McCormick, Meta President and Vice-Chairman: “The AI revolution is bringing change but also historic opportunities. 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.”
Mike Rowe, CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation: “Closing America’s skills gap requires us to not only make a more persuasive case for the skilled trades in general, it requires us to completely rethink the way we train the next generation of skilled workers. America’s Workforce Academy does both. Workers are actually paid to learn. There is zero cost to them, no college debt and a fast certification, with a guaranteed job on the other end. This is an important step in the right direction, and one that I hope other companies will be inspired to take.”
Marc H. Morial, National Urban League President and CEO: “America’s Workforce Academy represents the kind of bold, inclusive investment our economy urgently needs. 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 removing cost barriers, providing industry-recognized credentials, and guaranteeing employment, AWA is helping to build a more equitable and resilient workforce for the future.”
Michael Bellaman, ABC President and Chief Executive Officer: “America’s Workforce Academy is a transformational endeavor creating incredible opportunities, and ABC is proud to partner with Meta and CBRE to welcome all who want to build their career dreams in construction. This innovative talent pipeline solution addresses the industry’s ongoing workforce shortage by utilizing ABC’s existing, proven, nationwide education ecosystem. The sustained demand for data center construction technicians means the industry needs an all-of-the-above approach to grow the construction talent pool.”
To learn more or to apply to the AWA, visit www.meta.com/actions/americas-workforce-academy.