{"id":43285,"date":"2026-08-13T14:58:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43285"},"modified":"2026-08-13T14:58:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:58:51","slug":"ai-data-centers-fuel-demand-for-skilled-trades-apprenticeship-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43285","title":{"rendered":"AI data centers fuel demand for skilled trades apprenticeship programs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div data-layout-index=\"4\" class=\"featured featured-video video-ct\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"contain\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">  <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"info\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<div class=\"caption\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<h4 class=\"title\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6402964500112\" data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_featured-video_5_1\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">Why are parents crashing Gen Z job interviews?<\/a><\/h4>\n<p data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">NYU Stern professor Suzy Welch discusses the rising trend of &#8216;helicopter parents&#8217; actively participating in their Gen Z children&#8217;s job interviews and career decisions, explaining the desperation behind this behavior, on &#8216;America&#8217;s Newsroom.&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">The future of artificial intelligence may depend less on coders than on construction workers, electricians and factory technicians.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Tech companies are pouring money into new artificial intelligence (AI) data centers at an astounding clip, with Alphabet, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074809\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/tech\/companies\/microsoft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft<\/a>, Meta and Amazon expected to spend roughly $700 billion this year alone. And that doesn&#8217;t include the costs of grid modernization and semiconductor capacity. But those ambitions keep running into the same problem \u2013 there aren&#8217;t enough skilled workers to build the infrastructure that will power the AI economy.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">By one estimate, the United States will need 140,000 additional skilled trades workers like electricians, HVAC technicians, welders and construction workers by 2030 to support <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074810\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/infrastructure-across-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AI infrastructure<\/a>. How will we meet that demand?<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074811\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/southern-state-just-took-top-spot-one-worlds-fastest-growing-industries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>A SOUTHERN STATE JUST TOOK THE TOP SPOT IN ONE OF THE WORLD\u2019S FASTEST-GROWING INDUSTRIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The answer may lie across the Atlantic \u2013 in Switzerland. That nation&#8217;s apprenticeship system has helped build one of the world&#8217;s most innovative economies. And it&#8217;s achieved this by creating clear pathways into skilled technical careers for generations of young people.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/343\/192\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/686\/384\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/672\/378\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1344\/756\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/931\/523\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1862\/1046\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/720\/405\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1440\/810\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1200\/675\/power-worker-lines.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Men are seen working on a power line in Houston, Texas.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Apprentice linemen train in transformer bank construction at CenterPoint&#8217;s Hiram O. Clarke Training Center in Houston, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.<\/span> <span>(Raquel Natalicchio\/Houston Chronicle\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">At a moment when <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074812\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/palantirs-shyam-sankar-says-every-day-were-making-progress-ai-supercharges-american-workers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">America&#8217;s AI ambitions<\/a> are colliding with labor shortages, a Swiss-style model may offer exactly the kind of workforce pipeline the United States needs.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Switzerland&#8217;s Vocational Education and Training system \u2013 or apprenticeship model, as it&#8217;s commonly known \u2013 allows students as young as 15 to apprentice at companies across the country. These young people gain hands-on experience in the workplace while also developing industry-specific skills in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The system has proven wildly popular, with roughly 70% of each Swiss age cohort participating in <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074813\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/education\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">apprenticeship programs<\/a> in industries ranging from manufacturing and pharmaceuticals to construction, banking, and healthcare. Crucially, these pathways are not educational dead ends. In fact, after completing their apprenticeships, students can either remain in their field or continue on to a university degree.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">For companies, these apprenticeships are often sound investments, earning an average internal rate of return of 7% to 10%. They are also self-sustaining, as many apprentices end up staying with the firms where they trained, helping businesses recruit and develop new talent.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">And since these programs are largely directed by private companies, they tend to align closely with the needs of the labor market. In this way, employers are able to teach apprentices the most relevant skills, allowing training programs to adapt quickly in fast-changing industries and helping companies fill critical workforce gaps.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">This kind of model could help address the United States&#8217; current labor shortages.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">After all, demand for these workers is only going to grow. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently predicted &#8220;six-figure salaries for people who are building chip factories or computer factories or AI factories.&#8221;At the same time, many young Americans are gravitating toward more vocational work and trade schools \u2013 particularly amid rising higher-education costs and an increasingly uncertain white-collar job market.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074815\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/all-hands-deck-unlikely-workforce-rebuild-americas-fleet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>ALL HANDS ON DECK: THE UNLIKELY WORKFORCE THAT CAN REBUILD AMERICA\u2019S FLEET<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Companies can build on that momentum \u2013 not just by offering higher pay, but by investing in Swiss-style apprenticeship programs. Some states are already doing exactly that.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"pull-quote\">\n<p class=\"quote-text\">For companies, these apprenticeships are often sound investments, earning an average internal rate of return of 7% to 10%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> <!----><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074816\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Colorado&#8217;s CareerWise program, which was modeled in part on the Swiss system, allows students to split time between the classroom and paid apprenticeships in industries ranging from advanced manufacturing to information technology. Similar programs are beginning to spread to other states as employers search for new ways to build long-term talent pipelines.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The next era of <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_opinion_article_main-content_article-body_6_4074818\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/columns\/american-innovation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">digital technology<\/a> won&#8217;t just depend on software and computing power \u2013 but on the workers needed to wire data centers, install electrical systems and construct the physical backbone of the AI economy. Switzerland has spent decades cultivating that workforce. America can learn from that example.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p><i>Republican Rob Portman represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2023.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why are parents crashing Gen Z job interviews? NYU Stern professor Suzy Welch discusses the rising trend of &#8216;helicopter parents&#8217; actively participating in their Gen Z children&#8217;s job interviews and career decisions, explaining the desperation behind this behavior, on &#8216;America&#8217;s Newsroom.&#8217; NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The future of artificial intelligence may&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/power-worker-lines.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}