Google Targets 25,000 Veterans for Skilled Trades Jobs

Google wants to move 25,000 veterans and military family members into skilled-trades careers, partnering with three national veteran organizations as the trades labor shortage deepens.

The company did not disclose how much it is investing in the initiative, according to a recent Fox Business report. The program will provide hands-on pre-apprenticeship training, career coaching and job-placement support for roles including electricians, pipefitters and project managers.

Google's partners are Hiring Our Heroes, Student Veterans of America (SVA) and the Home Builders Institute.

The push comes as AI data-center construction and other infrastructure projects accelerate demand for trade workers. A report from Bring Back the Trades projects 1.4 million trade jobs will go unfilled by 2030.

Tim Chadwick, who leads Google data-center operations across Ohio and Indiana and served 21 years in the U.S. Navy, said in a blog post that "hundreds of thousands" of skilled-trades jobs remain open nationwide. He described the initiative as a response to that workforce need and a way to steer veterans and military families toward durable, "high-growth careers" with long-term earning potential.

"But beyond just the growing need, these roles also make the most of the kinds of skills veterans and military families know better than anyone — skills like problem-solving under pressure, teamwork, and getting a job done right," Chadwick stated.

The pay is real. The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show electricians earned a median annual wage of $63,190 in May 2025. Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earned a median of $63,800. Project management specialists, a broader category that can include construction and infrastructure roles, earned a substantially higher median of $102,320.

The commitment expands Google's broader trades-training effort. In June, the company joined BlackRock, Ford and Carhartt to launch the Alliance for America's Skilled Trades, which aims to train one million workers by 2030. Google had previously committed funding for AI-enabled training tools and veteran-focused career certificates.

Cory Boatwright, president and CEO of SVA, told Fox Business the collaboration with Google included 22 roundtable discussions across 11 states. The goal was to understand what veterans want as they prepare for civilian life. The consistent message, he said: many are looking for more accessible routes into purposeful careers.

SVA is also broadening its definition of a "student veteran." The organization now includes veterans pursuing any form of continued education — from professional certificates to skilled-trades training — rather than limiting the term to those seeking traditional college degrees.

"The student decides the path and what is meaningful to them," Boatwright said.

Google has a direct stake in the outcome. The company is building data centers across Ohio and Indiana, and every facility it opens deepens its own demand for electricians, pipefitters and project managers.