All articles tagged with #apprenticeships
Meta’s Americas Workforce Academy will offer free, paid apprenticeships in four states to train residents as fiber technicians, welders, electricians and more for its data-center projects; graduates earn an NCERC credential and the Americas Workforce Certificate and are matched with Meta contractors for on-site work, a move to address skilled-trade shortages and ease community concerns about jobs tied to Big Tech.
Meta is investing $115 million to launch America’s Workforce Academy, a free five-week program that trains participants in electrical, mechanical, and plumbing trades with paid apprenticeships and a guaranteed job, launching in Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas with no prior experience required. It complements a prior Level-Up fiber-technician program that drew 35,000 applications, underscoring a shift toward hiring skilled trades to build and operate AI data-center infrastructure amid strong demand, even as data-center construction dynamics can reduce on-site staff after completion and as Meta has shifted some jobs internally.
ONS data show about 957,000 UK 16–24-year-olds were not in education, employment or training in Oct–Dec 2025 (12.8%), edging toward a million as the jobs market remains weak. More young women are out of work, and rising inactivity is linked to long-term sickness and neurodivergence. The government is expanding apprenticeships and paid placements, while an independent inquiry into rising youth unemployment is due this summer.
The government will trial a clearing-style online portal to help young people who miss out on apprenticeships find alternative local roles, with information on pay and long-term prospects, as part of a plan to deliver 50,000 more apprenticeships backed by £725m; Centrica has pledged 500 new apprenticeships in 2026 during National Apprenticeship Week.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced $98 million in funding through the YouthBuild Program to support pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries like construction, manufacturing, IT, and healthcare, aiming to provide young people with skills training and employment opportunities, with a focus on increasing apprenticeship participation and incorporating AI literacy.
The UK government plans to focus apprenticeship funding on under-21s by cutting support for postgraduate level apprenticeships, aiming to create more opportunities for young people and those retraining, but critics argue it could harm professional training and public services like the NHS.
Labour has announced plans to allow businesses more flexibility in using government funds for apprenticeships, permitting up to 50% of the money to be spent on training existing staff in high-level technical skills. The proposal aims to address skills shortages and create more training opportunities, but has been criticized by the Conservative Party and others for potentially reducing the number of apprenticeships. Labour insists the plan will foster lifelong learning and support business needs without increasing the apprenticeship levy.
The United States is facing a significant labor shortage across various industries, including healthcare, education, and construction. To address this issue, on-the-job training programs, such as apprenticeships, are being increasingly recognized as a solution. These programs allow individuals to gain practical skills and enter the workforce without traditional requirements like college degrees. The establishment of apprenticeship intermediaries and funding from the government are being advocated to support the expansion of these training programs. As the U.S. economy grapples with skill shortages, on-the-job training programs could play a crucial role in filling the gap and developing a more highly skilled workforce.
Technical companies are struggling to find young skilled trade workers to fill open roles as older workers retire and there is a lack of young people training for these jobs. The number of applicants for technical worker jobs has decreased by half from 2020 to 2022. Experts suggest more needs to be done to recruit and properly train younger workers to address the worker shortage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1.7 million infrastructure workers will retire or leave their job every year until 2031.