On April 20, Meta and CBRE announced the launch of LevelUp, a long-term workforce development program intended to train thousands of fiber technicians to support Meta's U.S. data center construction.
CBRE will operate multiple training centers nationwide, with the first trainees set to begin this summer. Enrollment is free and open to applicants without prior experience.
Over four weeks, trainees will work through hands-on instruction covering fiber installation, rack and equipment deployment, and other core data center build-out tasks.
Graduates will have the opportunity to work at Meta construction sites through the company’s contractor network.
The program comes amid a broader construction labor shortage. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry will need to add nearly 350,000 net new workers in 2026 to meet its needs, a demand partly driven by growing data center development, which is itself heavily supported by hyperscaler investment in AI infrastructure.
Construction has not kept pace with demand and investment. CBRE’s H2 2025 North America Data Center Trends report found that new capacity under construction in primary U.S. markets fell in 2025 for the first time since 2020, shrinking from 6,350 MW to 5,994 MW, with permitting, zoning, and power procurement delays cited as key constraints on project timelines.
Meta says its U.S. data center projects have supported more than 45,000 skilled trade jobs during construction and created more than 6,000 permanent operational roles since 2011. The company currently has 27 data centers operational or under construction, with more in planning.
The skills taught through LevelUp are intended to transfer beyond Meta’s own pipeline, with the curriculum designed to apply broadly across fiber deployment, construction, and data center industries.
