Skilled trades are becoming one of the most important — and overlooked — drivers of the global infrastructure boom. As trillions of dollars flow into energy systems, transportation networks, telecoms, and AI data centers, the constraint is no longer just capital — it’s labor. The scale of the infrastructure buildout is historic, but delivering it depends on the availability of trained workers.
In this episode of The Bid, host Oscar Pulido is joined by Claire Chamberlain, Global Head of Social Impact and President of the BlackRock Foundation, and Sandra Lawson, Managing Director in Global Corporate Affairs, to explore why skilled trades are central to the next phase of infrastructure investing. With an estimated $85 trillion in global infrastructure investment needed over the next 15 years, demand for electricians, HVAC technicians, grid specialists and plumbers is accelerating.
Claire and Sandra explain how apprenticeship-based career pathways offer paid training, competitive wages, and the prospect of long-term financial stability — while also highlighting the growing supply-demand imbalance in the labor market. The conversation explores how philanthropy, employers, unions, schools, and policymakers can work together to expand training capacity and modernize workforce development. As megaforces like AI and infrastructure reshape capital markets, human capital will be just as critical as financial capital in determining long-term economic success.
Key moments:
00:00 Introduction and meet the guests
02:13 WWhat the $85 trillion infrastructure opportunity means for labor markets
03:54 Why AI and infrastructure are increasing demand for specialized workers
04:45 Why Are These Skilled Jobs Good Jobs?
07:15 Training Pipeline Worker Shortage
08:43 Philanthropy as Catalyst For The Infrastructure Skilled Trades Requirement
10:41 What success looks like for workforce development in an infrastructure-driven economy
12:56 Rethinking Going to College vs Apprenticeships and Skilled Trades
15:25 How collaboration among employers, unions schools, and philanthropy can expand training capacity
17:19 Wrap Up and Disclosure
Skilled trades, infrastructure investing, workforce development, capital markets, AI infrastructure, megaforces, economic growth, energy transition
Sources: “On the record: Infrastructure and the opportunity in skilled trades”, BlackRock 2026
Written Disclosures In Episode Description:
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