This year, over 55 people walked into a training program in Indianapolis with different backgrounds and different reasons for being there. In early August, they walked out with industry credentials, new skills and a guaranteed career in one of the fastest-growing sectors in the state.
The graduates make up the first class nationwide of Meta’s America’s Workforce Academy (AWA), a $115 million initiative designed to train thousands of workers at no cost to them for jobs supporting the infrastructure behind the data center and AI boom.
Indiana was one of just four locations selected for the program’s 2026 pilot, alongside Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. The program is a significant boost to workforce development in Indiana as companies are investing heavily in data centers, power generation, grid modernization and related infrastructure across the Hoosier state. The demand for workers who can build and maintain that infrastructure is only expected to grow.
AWA takes a different approach to the traditional workforce-training model in which participants need no college degree or prior experience. Meta covers tuition and provides a stipend to the trainees during the five-week boot camp. Those who are accepted into the program receive a conditional job offer from a Meta contractor partner and move into those positions once they complete the program. Additionally, participants earn a National Center for Construction Education and Research credential and an America’s Workforce Certificate.
In a recent graduation ceremony held at Crowne Plaza Indianapolis-Airport, participant Ethan Blake of Fishers said the promise of both training and employment made the program especially appealing.
“They gave me an on-ramp to success in a way,” he said. “They gave me the knowledge that I needed to be able to navigate the new workforce, and they gave me a job.”
The program addresses workforce challenges, especially in infrastructure. Meta received over 35,000 applications for its separate LevelUp program with CBRE, which offered 1,000 available positions for fiber installers.
In addition to CBRE, Meta is partnering with community and national organizations for the program, including with the National Urban League, the Associated Builders and Contractors, the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, STRIVE, Boone County Economic Development Corporation, Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce in Louisiana, Workforce Solutions Borderplex in Texas, and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Meta’s Indianapolis investment comes as the company expands its physical footprint in Indiana, including data center projects in Lebanon and Jeffersonville. The workforce required to build and support those facilities is part of a much greater national demand for skilled tradespeople.
At the graduation ceremony, Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich helped participants visualize the program’s ongoing impact.
“You’re not just starting a job, you’re helping to build the future of America and Indiana,” he said. “My challenge to you is to never stop learning. This is just the start.”
Johnston Wilson, a technical trainer for CBRE, a key partner for AWA, said the program is not only transformative for the participants but also for the trainers.
“Is this program changing lives? Yes, 100%,” he said during the ceremony. “This is a brand new thing for CBRE, and it's launching in such an amazing way.”
For Meta, the program serves more than just filling immediate job openings. The company is using a short, intensive training program with financial support, credentials and a job to create a more accessible path into a career.
For the Indianapolis class, the value has become more.
“You guys made this experience an experience that I'll never forget,” said Blake. “We arrived as classmates, and we’re leaving now as a family.”
