Meta and Mike Rowe Launch Training Program for Skilled Trades Workers
Laniya Brooks transitioned from a custodian role at a data center into an advanced technician training program through America's Workforce Academy (AWA), co-founded by Meta president Dina Powell-McCormick and Mike Rowe. The initiative, backed with $115 million in funding from Meta, aims to train workers for jobs like plumbing, electrical work, and mechanical systems. Graduates are guaranteed employment at a construction site partnered with Meta. The program is part of broader industry efforts addressing the skilled labor shortage, which has been exacerbated by an aging workforce and cultural biases against vocational careers. Other companies such as Lowe's, BlackRock, Google, Ford, Carhartt, and Home Depot have also invested $365 million collectively in similar training initiatives. The U.S. government is supporting these efforts through new rules allowing Pell Grants for vocational programs. McKinsey reported that the shortage stems from an aging workforce and a lack of interest among younger generations in pursuing trades careers.
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Topics: data centers job transition Meta Mike Rowe training programs