Why NABTU and BlackRock’s Partnership is Pivotal For Trades

If ever a clear signal was needed that the future of work in construction is shifting, NABTU’s collaboration with BlackRock is it.

They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support infrastructure growth in the US and provide more opportunities for its construction workforce.

The MoU is also meant to strengthen supply chain resilience and help with long-term economic development linked to AI and energy infrastructure investment.

The collaboration will see NABTU capitalise on BlackRock’s AI Infrastructure Partnership with Microsoft, offering the US construction industry more opportunities.

"NABTU is proud to partner with BlackRock and AIP to help build the skilled workforce that will power America’s data revolution,” says Sean McGarvey, President of NABTU. 

“As we’ve said, 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.”

The collaboration comes as fears of AI replacing human headcount dominate industry dialogue.

Concurrently, the volume of projects in traditional areas of construction is contracting.

However, the collaboration between NABTU and BlackRock highlights where opportunities remain to support growth in construction and create jobs.

It capitalises on several key drivers of growth for the industry, which is otherwise facing challenges such as elevated costs due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Data centres create demand for new skills

The construction industry is experiencing a lack of talent, particularly in markets that are emerging as the most in-demand, such as data centres.

“As data consumption accelerates, the corresponding growth in data centres, power generation, and related infrastructure investment is expected to create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs for skilled American workers,” says NABTU.

“Developing the workforce needed to meet that demand requires dialogue among investors, labour organisations, policymakers, companies, and other industry participants.”

The collaboration is designed to expand the construction workforce and more widely, boost the US economy.

“For America to continue to prosper, the men and women building the infrastructure of the future must also benefit from this growth,” says Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock.  

“This collaboration reflects a shared belief that investing in critical infrastructure can strengthen America’s competitiveness while creating jobs, expanding economic opportunity and, ultimately, help more Americans experience financial well-being.”

Addressing a shrinking construction workforce

Recent data shows that construction workers are leaving the industry due to factors such as an ageing workforce.

Meanwhile, construction is failing to attract as many new workers as it needs.

Several companies have started to address this problem by investing in, and providing training initiatives in skilled trades.

Some are specifically focusing on targeted training in the skills that are most in demand.

In March 2026, BlackRock established BlackRock Future Builders, a US$100m programme to help train 50,000 Americans in the skilled trades. 

BlackRock, along with Carhartt, Ford Motor Company and Google, have also established the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades.

The Alliance is designed to expand access to skilled trades training and help meet the needs of the US’ growing workforce. 

It follows Turner Construction working on the construction of several educational facilities for skilled trades, including The Hudson Valley Community College's Applied Technology Education Center.

Manufacturing equipment giant Caterpillar has also pledged US$100m in skilled trades training. 

If the construction industry is to meet demand, a larger workforce is needed. 

Consulting firm McKinsey & Company has found that the industry’s output could fail to meet demand by up to US$40bn cumulatively by 2040. 

 “Strategic access to NABTU’s highly trained workforce is a competitive advantage,” added Will Brilliant, CEO of AIP and Global Head of Digital Infrastructure at Global Infrastructure Partners, a part of BlackRock. 

“This relationship will bolster AIP and our companies’ ability to deliver mission-critical infrastructure projects with the scale, speed, and quality needed to generate strong outcomes for our clients. It will also help more Americans and their families benefit from the historic investments in American infrastructure.”