00:00America is running out of electricians, and Gen Z could earn six figures filling the gap.
00:04Investment firm BlackRock is pouring $100 million into new training programs to help young people
00:09fill these roles in the skilled trades professions, like electricians, plumbers, and iron workers.
00:15These roles are all necessary for the build-out of AI data centers. BlackRock is one of the biggest
00:20funders of data centers. They have helped Meta by buying out $3 billion worth of bonds,
00:25and BlackRock themselves just led the purchase of a data center company for $40 billion.
00:31This initiative is aiming to reach 50,000 workers over the next five years across multiple states,
00:37and BlackRock is going to partner with non-profits and other development organizations to do so.
00:41BlackRock is not alone in their worry that there are not enough skilled trade workers across the
00:45country. Earlier this month, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Wong warned in a blog post that blue-collar workers
00:50needed to build out the physical backbone of AI are already in short supply, and he highlighted
00:55that these jobs aren't ones that need a PhD in computer science to land. They are skilled trade
01:00jobs that can require just a couple of years of training, and then can be stable, high-paying
01:05careers for people across the country. For example, journeymen electricians in the Washington,
01:09D.C. area can make up to $120,000 right after they complete their training. If you add on foreman
01:15status and overtime, they could be making over $200,000 annually. It's an enticing option for Gen Zers
01:21looking for an alternative to going to college.
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