A lot of big infrastructure projects are in the works. Data centers for AI, new factories, and other construction all need people who know how to build and maintain them. The problem is, those people are getting harder to find.
Their goal is simple: get more workers into trades like electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and building.
In an April research note, Paul Morgan, JLL's global COO for real estate management services, wrote: "We're at a critical inflection point where demand for skilled trades is accelerating while the available workforce continues to shrink."
At the same time, the AI boom is creating a need for new data center construction, fueling a massive infrastructure build-out. This results in increased job vacancies and better wages for electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and builders.
For decades, the message was clear: get a four-year degree or fall behind. But that picture is changing.
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A recent survey by Lumina Foundation and Gallup also discovered that "Americans' confidence in a bachelor's degree is falling, while two-year associate's degrees are gaining steam."
Courtney Brown, who serves as the chief data and research officer at the Lumina Foundation, said, "A four-year degree is still the gold standard. However, community colleges are doing really well with affordability and value - more people gravitate towards that."
The Alliance is not just a press release.
BlackRock brings money and investment muscle. Carhartt knows the workers who wear the gear. Ford understands manufacturing.
Google needs the data centers that tradespeople build. Each one has a direct stake in the outcome.
Ruth Porat, Alphabet and Google's president and chief investment officer, stated: "Building the physical infrastructure for America's future requires significantly increasing the pipeline of skilled tradespeople across the country - a challenge that can only be addressed with collective action."
Morgan of JLL also noted that the skilled trades shortage "threatens how we power our data centers, cool our laboratories, secure our manufacturing facilities and maintain the spaces where millions of Americans work every day."
The skilled labor void isn't just a problem for construction crews. It ripples through the entire economy. When data centers get delayed, cloud services and AI development slow down.
When factories lack maintenance electricians, production lines stall. The retiring baby boomer generation is leaving behind tens of thousands of unfilled positions, and younger workers have historically been steered toward four-year degrees instead of trade schools. This mismatch between available jobs and trained workers drives up wages for tradespeople, but it also raises costs for companies and consumers.
The Alliance aims to close that gap by creating clearer pathways from training to employment, using the combined resources and influence of its corporate partners.
The Alliance will leverage existing union apprenticeship programs, such as those run by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, which have decades of experience training workers. By collaborating with these groups, the corporate partners hope to build a seamless pipeline from training to employment, addressing both the immediate shortage and the long-term need for a skilled workforce.
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