Google.org Commits to Training 25,000 Veterans in Skilled Construction Trades Amid Data Center Boom
Google.org, the charitable arm of Google, is investing a "seven-figure" sum to train 25,000 U.S. veterans in skilled construction trades. This initiative aims to address a significant shortage of construction workers, particularly as the nation experiences a boom in data center construction. The commitment will support organizations such as the Home Builders Institute (HBI), Hiring Our Heroes, and Student Veterans of America, providing pre-apprenticeships, career coaching, and job placement services. HBI, for instance, will receive $1 million from Google. Ed Brady, CEO of HBI, highlighted that while Google is a major consumer of data center construction, the program's benefits will extend to the entire building industry, including residential construction, which has faced a severe worker shortage for years. The Associated Builders and Contractors estimate a need for hundreds of thousands of new construction workers in the coming years.
