Meta has entered into a partnership with North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) to expand the pipeline of skilled workers required to construct and maintain the United States' rapidly expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Announced Wednesday, the agreement grants Meta access to NABTU's extensive network of apprenticeship and training programs while facilitating the placement of skilled trades professionals on Meta projects throughout the country.

"The Meta partnership with North America's Building Trades Unions means avenues of communication are open, access to our recruitment and training pipeline of skilled craft will become available, and we'll be able to deploy craft on an as-needed basis to Meta projects anywhere across America," Sean McGarvey, president of NABTU, told FOX Business.

Demand for skilled trades workers has surged as major technology companies pour investment into data centers and other infrastructure essential for powering AI systems. Meta has been among the most aggressive investors, announcing plans for large-scale AI data center campuses including a projected multi-billion-dollar facility in Richland Parish, Louisiana. Rivals including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have also committed tens of billions of dollars to comparable buildouts, intensifying competition for the same pool of construction talent. McGarvey noted that the demand spans multiple trades, including HVAC technicians, laborers, operating engineers, and others.

The partnership also addresses a broader skilled trades shortage that U.S. construction industry groups have tracked for years, driven in part by retirements in an aging workforce and declining enrollment in vocational training programs. NABTU represents more than 3.2 million skilled craft professionals across the United States and Canada through an alliance of 14 national and international unions. The organization's unions and contractor partners operate over 1,900 apprenticeship and training facilities throughout North America and invest more than $3 billion annually in training and education, according to Meta's announcement.

McGarvey said NABTU currently has approximately 300,000 individuals enrolled in its registered apprenticeship system, a figure he said could increase substantially.

"We currently have that 300,000, and we can ramp that up to a million, based on demand," he said.

Meta President Dina Powell McCormick emphasized that skilled trades workers will play a critical role in building the infrastructure necessary for the United States to remain competitive in AI.

"We are so proud to work with NABTU on this partnership," Powell McCormick said in a statement. "I have had the privilege of working with President McGarvey since I took on this new role, and we are excited to work together on skilled trades."

"This is an important moment, and these men and women of the skilled trades are building the American infrastructure needed to ensure America's values lead the AI race globally," McCormick added.

The agreement comes as Meta continues to broaden its investment in U.S. infrastructure and workforce development. The company said the partnership builds upon its Future Is For Everyone Fund, an initiative focused on investing in communities, including teachers, first responders, and energy and water infrastructure.

McGarvey pointed out that the employment opportunities generated by the AI infrastructure boom could extend well beyond the initial construction phase of data centers, as the facilities require ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

"The need for skilled craft on a constant basis in these digital facilities is ongoing long after initial construction is complete," he said.