Google.org backs skilled trades push for 25,000 veterans and military families

Hiring Our Heroes, Student Veterans of America and Home Builders Institute will provide pre-apprenticeships, career coaching and job placement support across the US

Google.org is supporting programs designed to help 25,000 veterans and military family members build careers in the skilled trades.

Photo credit: Google

Google.org is funding a new workforce initiative aimed at helping 25,000 US veterans and military family members move into skilled trades careers, working with Hiring Our Heroes, Student Veterans of America and Home Builders Institute.

The program will combine hands-on pre-apprenticeships with career coaching and direct job placement support, targeting occupations including electrical work, pipefitting and infrastructure project management.

For Google, the initiative builds on a broader push into skilled trades training as demand grows for the workers needed to support infrastructure and technology operations, including the company’s own data centers.

Google Data Center Operations Area Lead Tim Chadwick brings a veteran perspective to the program. Before joining the company, he spent seven years in the US Navy as a nuclear-trained operator and another 13 years as a submarine officer.

“It turns out, a lot of the skills you pick up running a nuclear submarine (planning and leading a mission, working closely with technicians, exercising sound judgment) are the same kinds of skills that come in handy when your job is to oversee data center operations,” Chadwick says.

Three organizations take on training and career support

The delivery model puts veteran-focused organizations at the center of the initiative rather than building a new Google-run training program.

Hiring Our Heroes, Student Veterans of America and Home Builders Institute will provide different forms of career preparation and employment support, including practical pre-apprenticeships and pathways into jobs.

Google says there are currently hundreds of thousands of skilled trade vacancies across the US. The company is focusing on roles it describes as long-term careers rather than short-term employment opportunities.

Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet and Google, said on LinkedIn that demand is growing for “master electricians, pipefitters, and infrastructure project managers.”

“These are careers – not just jobs – and at Google we are proud to help create more pathways to them,” she wrote.

The initiative is also aimed at military spouses and other family members alongside veterans and active service members preparing for civilian careers.

Google links veteran support with wider skills investment

The 25,000-person commitment follows several other Google.org investments in workforce training.

Earlier in 2026, Google joined BlackRock, Ford and Carhartt to establish the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades, an initiative focused on the country’s technical workforce.

Google.org has also funded the electrical training Alliance to introduce AI-powered learning tools into electrical trades training.

Student Veterans of America has separately received Google.org funding to expand access to Google Career Certificates and AI courses for veterans nationwide.

Those programs sit within Google.org’s broader AI Opportunity Fund for the United States, which is intended to expand access to training as AI changes the skills required across different occupations.

For Chadwick, the latest program also addresses the less straightforward part of leaving military service: translating military experience into a civilian role.

“Transitioning to a civilian role was a tall order — and if not for the help and support of my network, I’m not sure I would have found a role that made the most of my expertise while offering a feeling of accomplishment,” he explains.

Google’s new commitment will now use its three partner organizations to expand that type of career support to 25,000 veterans and military family members across the US.