BlackRock announced a $30 million philanthropic investment in Texas to train electrical workers through its Future Builders initiative. The three-year program aims to train more than 12,000 Texans for electrical careers.

The BlackRock Foundation will partner with the IBEW-NECA electrical training ALLIANCE, Independent Electrical Contractors of Dallas, and Texas State Technical College to expand access to electrical training programs.

The electrical training ALLIANCE will launch The ProTech Skills Institute BlackRock Foundation Electrical College, described as a statewide pre-apprenticeship program featuring a 14-day bootcamp for jobsite readiness and safety credentials.

Independent Electrical Contractors of Dallas will receive funding to expand workforce training in North Texas through a BlackRock SafeSTART pre-apprenticeship program offering 80 hours of safety training and laboratory experience. The organization will also provide journeyman exam preparation courses.

Texas State Technical College will use the grant to establish an Associate of Applied Science in Electrical Technology program at its Construction Technologies Center in Waco. The program will prepare students for journeyman license testing through simulation labs and expanded instructor capacity.

Dallas College will develop a financial education course specifically for electricians, which will be piloted with apprentices across Texas as part of the initiative.

"The scale of growth underway in Texas demands a workforce ready to build it," said Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock.

The Future Builders initiative represents the first grants from The BlackRock Foundation's $100 million national program to strengthen skilled trades pipelines. The launch coincides with National Skilled Trades Day at an event hosted by Texas State Technical College in Waco.