Meta is taking a direct approach to a problem that's plaguing the entire tech industry: a severe shortage of fiber technicians. The company has teamed up with global real estate and infrastructure services firm CBRE to launch the LevelUp Fiber Technician Pathway—a free, four-week training program for US residents designed to funnel graduates directly into Meta's data center construction sites and permanent operations roles.
The program, which will be operated by CBRE, is set to welcome its first cohort this summer. The curriculum blends classroom discussion, hands-on lab work, and team exercises. Those who complete it will be eligible for placement through Meta's contractor network at its US construction sites.
Meta currently operates or has under construction 27 data centers in the United States. The company says these projects have created more than 30,000 construction trade jobs and over 5,000 permanent operations positions—like site managers and engineers—since 2010.
The move comes as the US faces a nationwide shortage of fiber technicians and skilled construction workers in general, while demand for data center capacity from AI companies and cloud providers is at an all-time high. Rather than wait for the market to catch up, Meta is building its own pipeline. This workforce strategy stands in stark contrast to the company's recent focus on AI-driven efficiency, which has reportedly led to plans for significant layoffs elsewhere in the organization. Graduates of this program, however, won't be working on neural networks—they'll be the ones physically laying the fiber that makes all that AI computation possible.