Facebook is officially launching a job training program called Hardhat in Hand at its active data center construction sites including the Eagle Mountain Data Center. The program will create new opportunities and a pipeline of skills trained professionals in the metro Salt Lake area. The Hardhat in Hand program is attempting to address a key need – lack of skilled workers in the construction industry – that Utah is facing.
The Hardhat in Hand program is sponsored by Facebook and creates a partnership with general contractor, Mortenson Construction, at Eagle Mountain data center. The program offers hands-on training for individuals to create a diverse pipeline of workers that is needed for projects like the expansion of the Eagle Mountain data center as well as other projects in the Salt Lake area. This program has three primary objectives — expanding the local skilled trades talent pipeline, increasing diversity in the construction industry, and providing a path to reliable, well-paid job opportunities.
The current workforce shortage is top of mind in Utah where the total jobs available outnumber the total available workers to fill them. Facebook’s Eagle Mountain data center has employed 1,500 construction jobs at the height of construction.
Facebook is investing in Utah when it built its Eagle Mountain data center and announced a $1 billion investment and continued expansion. Now, the company is investing in the people of Utah by spearheading this new program. The program started with pilots at three Facebook data centers and Facebook expects to have cohorts in the Hardhat in Hand program at the Eagle Mountain data center and the 12 U.S. Facebook data center with active construction by end of 2022.
