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The first class of <\/span>America\u2019s Workforce Academy<\/span><\/a> (AWA) has graduated, and they\u2019re headed to Meta construction sites to help build America\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nearly every major industry in the US is desperate to hire more skilled workers. But what\u2019s been missing is a pathway linking America\u2019s workers to America\u2019s needs. We designed AWA, Meta\u2019s free training program, to bridge that gap.<\/span><\/p>\n AWA provides four weeks of hands-on training and Meta covers travel and lodging expenses for participants. After graduation, a job with a Meta partner is already waiting for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou can come into the program with no prior data center experience and be able to, after you finish, go into the workforce. [These students] will get promotions and become leaders \u2014 they\u2019ll become foremen, superintendents, safety project managers. They can become engineers, coders, estimators. There\u2019s so many different paths that they can take from what they\u2019re learning here, and literally change their future.\u201d<\/span> <\/i><\/p>\n \u2014 Marcos, AWA Trainer<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Here are a few things we heard from our inaugural graduating class:<\/span><\/p>\n Laniya, 22, Iowa\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/b> Laniya first learned about AI infrastructure while working as a data center custodian. Watching fiber technicians inspired her to start a new journey in a higher-paying job with more stability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey literally pay for the training. They make sure you\u2019re eating. The transportation is provided \u2014 you can be coming from California, they\u2019ll pay for that flight. It\u2019s perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n After her acceptance to AWA, Laniya took her first-ever flight and arrived in Indianapolis to start the program. Then, she learned how to build servers and lay fiber cords, which helps data centers run smoothly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201c[The program] makes me feel amazing. Like I\u2019m alive. I feel like I\u2019m doing a lot more for the world.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Laniya credited her instructors for her success in completing the program, and now she\u2019s aiming to become an advanced technician within a year. She\u2019s heading back home to start work as a fiber technician at a Meta data center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ethan, 26, Indiana<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Ethan, who previously worked in retail sales, wanted more upward mobility so he looked for job opportunities in the tech field. The problem? Like many Americans, he simply couldn\u2019t afford to quit his job and train for a new role.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe more that we learn about how the physical infrastructure works, the more we can impact the future generations. We have a lot of materials. We have a lot of plans. We just don\u2019t have the hands to build them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n AWA put his mind at ease because it paid him to train and gave him a career path he had long hoped for.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to do something big. I don\u2019t know what that is yet, but I know that this is the program that I need to be in in order to discover that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Through the program, he learned how to build data center infrastructure, and he plans to expand his technician skills by learning more about networking and security.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our shared future depends on a highly skilled workforce \u2014 one that rises to the challenge of building and maintaining the complex systems that power innovation. AWA\u2019s <\/span>fiber technician<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>generalist construction<\/span><\/a> training programs are doing just that. With graduations now happening every week, we look forward to welcoming more AWA graduates, and to building a future that\u2019s for everyone.\u201dLearn more about AWA and the application process <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>. To keep up with all things AWA, follow the program on <\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Threads<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Linkedin<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>X<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Fiber Tech Training Graduates<\/h2>\n
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