According to news on June 9, Meta will train technicians for the construction of its own AI data center. According to Reuters, Meta will invest US$115 million to set up a free training program called "America's Workforce Academy" to train new talents for data center technical positions, and promises that graduates will receive job opportunities.
A Meta spokesperson said the program will provide general training for data center technicians. The position after graduation is not to enter Meta directly, but to work full-time at a general contractor involved in the construction of Meta data centers. The spokesman did not specify how many positions would be opened, which contractors would be involved, or whether the positions would be unionized.
The AI data center not only lacks chips, but also lacks construction personnel.
This $115 million is not a large amount in Meta’s overall investment. According to Reuters, Meta has pledged to invest a total of $600 billion in U.S. infrastructure and employment over the next three years, including building large data centers to provide computing power for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s bet on AI agent technology.
But AI infrastructure cannot be implemented just by graphics cards, servers and power contracts. To build a data center, it is necessary to lay lines, install equipment, and complete mechanical and electrical and on-site construction. The Associated Builders and Contractors said it expects to train thousands of people during the project.
Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick said that the AI revolution brings changes and "historic opportunities." This means that AI companies are extending some of their infrastructure pressure from computing power procurement to labor supply.
Guaranteed employment, but not guaranteed entry into Meta
The most attractive aspects of this program are "free training" and "job opportunities after graduation." For people who don’t want to go to college or who need to enter a job with a stable income as soon as possible, the data center construction wave is creating a new batch of blue-collar employment channels.
However, according to Reuters, graduates will receive job opportunities, and the positions will come from general contractors involved in the construction of Meta data centers, rather than direct employment by Meta. Meta also did not disclose the number of positions, the list of employing companies, and whether the positions are unionized. This is closer to Meta's reserve of manpower for its own construction chain in advance, rather than corporate campus recruitment in the traditional sense.
This distinction is important. For job seekers, whether training actually translates into a long-term career path depends on location, pay, contract stability and the sustainability of follow-on projects. For Meta, ensuring that someone can enter the site for construction is the realistic prerequisite for the expansion of the AI data center to not be delayed by the progress of the construction site.
The construction period is labor-intensive and long-term positions are limited.
Reuters also mentioned that data centers usually bring short-term construction job peaks, but the number of permanent positions is smaller. Meta started construction of a large data center in Texas last year. It is expected that there will be more than 1,800 on-site workers during the peak construction period, but it will create about 100 jobs after it is put into operation. Another data center in Oklahoma is expected to have more than 1,000 construction jobs during the peak construction period and about 100 operational jobs after completion.
This is where the public controversy surrounding such training programs lies. Local governments and communities often expect data centers to bring long-term employment, but the real intensive employment phase is often concentrated during the construction period. The American Workforce Academy can open the door for a group of people to enter skilled trades, but it cannot turn data centers into long-term large-scale employers.
AI infrastructure construction is bringing positions such as electricians, electromechanical workers, and data center technicians back to the forefront of the company's strategy. AI will eventually land on servers, computer rooms, power supply and construction sites. Who can build these facilities will also become part of the competition among technology companies.