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NABTU, BlackRock and AI Infrastructure Partnership Forge MOU to Expand U.S. Skilled Workforce
On August 10 2026, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), investment firm BlackRock and the AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP) signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington, D.C. that seeks to broaden the domestic workforce capable of supporting a growing AI and energy infrastructure sector.
The three‑party agreement centers on AIP’s projected pipeline of data‑center and energy‑infrastructure projects. By making that pipeline visible to the unions, the partners aim to sharpen workforce planning, boost apprenticeship utilization, enhance training programs, widen recruitment efforts and secure family‑sustaining career pathways for American workers.
"NABTU is proud to partner with BlackRock and AIP to help build the skilled workforce that will power America’s data revolution," said Sean McGarvey, president of NABTU. "There is no shortage of men and women ready to build America’s future; what is needed is the workforce planning, industry partnerships, and sustained investment required to connect people with world‑class training and family‑sustaining careers.”
BlackRock’s chairman and chief executive officer, Larry Fink, added that the infrastructure buildout needed to support AI and data consumption presents a "once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to invest in American workers." He emphasized that the collaboration reflects a shared belief that investing in critical infrastructure can strengthen competitiveness while creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity. Will Brilliant, chief executive officer of AIP and global head of digital infrastructure at Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a BlackRock affiliate, noted that access to NABTU’s highly trained workforce is a competitive advantage. He said the partnership would help AIP and its portfolio companies deliver mission‑critical projects with the scale, speed and quality needed to generate strong outcomes for clients.
The MOU also acknowledges that skilled contractors operating under a Responsible Contractor Program can improve execution certainty, workplace safety and operational reliability, and that a project labor agreement may be appropriate for certain projects. The announcement builds on BlackRock’s broader commitment to strengthening America’s skilled‑labor pipeline. In March 2025, BlackRock launched the BlackRock Future Builders initiative, a $100 million philanthropic program funded by the BlackRock Foundation to train 50,000 Americans for careers in the skilled trades, and it joined Carhartt, Ford Motor Company and Google in creating the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades.
According to NABTU, the union alliance represents more than 3.2 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, NABTU and its contractor partners invest over $3 billion in private‑sector capital to operate more than 1,900 apprenticeship training facilities across North America. AIP, founded by BlackRock, GIP, Microsoft and MGX, seeks to mobilize $30 billion of equity capital for AI infrastructure, with the potential to reach $100 billion when debt financing is included. Industry analysts note that the U.S. data‑center job market is experiencing a shortage of approximately 439,000 workers, with wages rising sharply as demand for skilled labor grows. The MOU’s emphasis on apprenticeships and training is intended to address that gap.
While the MOU is non‑binding, BlackRock and AIP will apply its principles in a manner consistent with their fiduciary duty to clients. The parties have not yet outlined specific timelines for workforce development initiatives or detailed project milestones. The collaboration represents a coordinated effort among a labor union, a global investment manager and an AI‑infrastructure consortium to align infrastructure investment with workforce development. Its ultimate impact will hinge on how the partners translate the MOU’s broad objectives into concrete training programs, apprenticeship placements and project‑level labor agreements.
As the U.S. continues to expand its AI and data‑center footprint, the partnership between NABTU, BlackRock and AIP could play a significant role in ensuring that the domestic workforce is prepared to meet the demand for skilled labor in the coming years.
The three‑party agreement centers on AIP’s projected pipeline of data‑center and energy‑infrastructure projects. By making that pipeline visible to the unions, the partners aim to sharpen workforce planning, boost apprenticeship utilization, enhance training programs, widen recruitment efforts and secure family‑sustaining career pathways for American workers.
"NABTU is proud to partner with BlackRock and AIP to help build the skilled workforce that will power America’s data revolution," said Sean McGarvey, president of NABTU. "There is no shortage of men and women ready to build America’s future; what is needed is the workforce planning, industry partnerships, and sustained investment required to connect people with world‑class training and family‑sustaining careers.”
BlackRock’s chairman and chief executive officer, Larry Fink, added that the infrastructure buildout needed to support AI and data consumption presents a "once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to invest in American workers." He emphasized that the collaboration reflects a shared belief that investing in critical infrastructure can strengthen competitiveness while creating jobs and expanding economic opportunity. Will Brilliant, chief executive officer of AIP and global head of digital infrastructure at Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a BlackRock affiliate, noted that access to NABTU’s highly trained workforce is a competitive advantage. He said the partnership would help AIP and its portfolio companies deliver mission‑critical projects with the scale, speed and quality needed to generate strong outcomes for clients.
The MOU also acknowledges that skilled contractors operating under a Responsible Contractor Program can improve execution certainty, workplace safety and operational reliability, and that a project labor agreement may be appropriate for certain projects. The announcement builds on BlackRock’s broader commitment to strengthening America’s skilled‑labor pipeline. In March 2025, BlackRock launched the BlackRock Future Builders initiative, a $100 million philanthropic program funded by the BlackRock Foundation to train 50,000 Americans for careers in the skilled trades, and it joined Carhartt, Ford Motor Company and Google in creating the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades.
According to NABTU, the union alliance represents more than 3.2 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, NABTU and its contractor partners invest over $3 billion in private‑sector capital to operate more than 1,900 apprenticeship training facilities across North America. AIP, founded by BlackRock, GIP, Microsoft and MGX, seeks to mobilize $30 billion of equity capital for AI infrastructure, with the potential to reach $100 billion when debt financing is included. Industry analysts note that the U.S. data‑center job market is experiencing a shortage of approximately 439,000 workers, with wages rising sharply as demand for skilled labor grows. The MOU’s emphasis on apprenticeships and training is intended to address that gap.
While the MOU is non‑binding, BlackRock and AIP will apply its principles in a manner consistent with their fiduciary duty to clients. The parties have not yet outlined specific timelines for workforce development initiatives or detailed project milestones. The collaboration represents a coordinated effort among a labor union, a global investment manager and an AI‑infrastructure consortium to align infrastructure investment with workforce development. Its ultimate impact will hinge on how the partners translate the MOU’s broad objectives into concrete training programs, apprenticeship placements and project‑level labor agreements.
As the U.S. continues to expand its AI and data‑center footprint, the partnership between NABTU, BlackRock and AIP could play a significant role in ensuring that the domestic workforce is prepared to meet the demand for skilled labor in the coming years.
