The annual FABTECH conference has always placed heavy emphasis on developing the workforce and the leaders of tomorrow in the fields of manufacturing, forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing. Organizations such as SME, AWS, FMA, PMA, and IFCA have programs in place to educate new workers, help the existing workforce update their skills, and encourage the younger generation to pursue a career in these fields.
But support is now arriving from another source – data center developers and hyperscalers such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and Meta. The requirements for the “AI factories” of tomorrow are so demanding that they are investing in workforce development activities across several fronts.
Google, for example, is funding a program to address the worker shortfall impacting the U.S. construction and infrastructure sectors. The company plans to support and upskill more than 300,000 American tradespeople by helping the efforts of 14 labor unions and four trade and contractor associations. This will include collaboration with TradesFutures to increase access to a variety of construction careers. Apprenticeship readiness programs, registered apprenticeships, and AI operational tools will play a part in improving graduate placement.
To create more electricians, Google is working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) to bring more opportunities to high-demand infrastructure hubs through mobile training centers. Plumbers, pipefitters, welders and service techs, too, will benefit through the United Association's International Training Fund (ITF) in partnership with the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). They are developing a five-year roadmap to generate more plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration sectors trainees. And backed by the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART) Workers and Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors (SMACNA), Google is partnering with the International Training Institute for the sheet metal and air conditioning industries to modernize coursework and apprentice support and augment these with new AI tools.
Amazon Involvement
Other data center developers are on a similar trajectory. Take the case of Amazon. It is tackling the national shortage of skilled tradespeople by directing funds to vocational education, partnerships with local community colleges, and infrastructure commitments with on-the-job trade and technical training. A recent multibillion-dollar optical fiber deal in North Carolina serves as one example. By expanding its Fiber Optic Technician Training Program with Catawba Valley Community College, it is creating hundreds of construction, manufacturing, and fiber tech jobs. It also provides up to $5,250 a year in tuition for eligible hourly Amazon employees for trade-related fields, including mechanical and electrical trades, and it is upskilling its workforce in robotics.
These are just a few examples of how companies in the IT and data center fields are collaborating with those in traditional industrial and trade sectors to promote valuable careers. Some of these companies will be attending FABTECH 2026. Leaders from the data center and IT sectors will be speaking. Many of these companies will also have booths at the exhibit where you can learn more about their programs.
Bottom line: All vectors converge on Las Vegas from 21 October to 23 October for the FABTECH 2026 conference. There is no better place to be to discover work opportunities and potential partnerships to develop your own workforce. Additionally, it is the place to find out about data center and infrastructure projects around the country that are desperate to find more metal forming, welding, fabricating, finishing, and manufacturing professionals and businesses they can work with to bring their projects through to rapid completion.
Register for FABTECH 2026 today.