Joe Stanley, CPD’s Post

Some 2.2 million people on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook watch Lexis Czumak-Abreu do her electrician work. Maybe you’re one of them. Did you see her atop a bucket truck, working on power poles? Or stripping cables in a ditch? Since she began posting videos, she’s gotten thousands of messages from viewers saying she’s sparked their interest in trade work. Czumak-Abreu’s path is one that more young Americans are considering, Te-Ping Chen reports. Skepticism about the cost and value of four-year degrees is growing, and enrollment in vocational programs has risen as young people pursue well-paying jobs that don’t require desks or so much debt, and come with the potential to be your own boss. The number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018. On TikTok, the hashtag #bluecollar drew 500k posts in the first four months of this year, up 64% over the same period in 2023. Posts hashtagged #electrician increased 77% over the same time, with #constructionworker and #mechanic posting similar jumps, TikTok says. Many posts tout the wages blue-collar workers can make. Pay for new hires in construction now outstrips pay for new hires in professional services like accounting, according to ADP data. Skilled-trade influencers say they’re also trying to combat decades of stereotypes in which practitioners were seen as grease monkeys or stuck in low-end careers. See how young workers are making trade jobs cool: https://lnkd.in/etHHSQcY

One of the hardest jobs to automate will be in the construction trades. You can even use that expertise to become a successful content creator, and monetize your audience by showcasing your construction expertise. Both skilled trades and healthcare offer great outlooks for job security and growth in the coming years. #Jobs #Careers #FutureofJobs #AI

Gen Z turns to #BlueCollar jobs: Wary of being saddled with debt from a four-year degree, members of Gen Z are increasingly turning to the trades. The number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges jumped 16% last year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse — the highest level since tracking began in 2018. And being of the TikTok generation, many of these newly minted plumbers and electricians are documenting their work on social media, which only further drives interest. Half a million TikTok posts bore the hashtag #bluecollar in the first four months of 2024, a 64% increase over a year earlier. - In a twist, some skilled-trades influencers are making more money on TikTok than in the day jobs they document online — sometimes as much as $500,000 a year. - But even for non-influencers, the money is an increasingly attractive proposition: Pay for new construction hires is now better than for new hires in professional services such as accounting, per ADP.

Most of the time, when Lexis Czumak-Abreu is stripping cables in a ditch or troubleshooting a sparking outlet, the size of her fan base doesn’t mean too much to her. But then she’ll be strolling through the airport in Las Vegas, and a stranger will call her name. Some 2.2 million people on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook watch Czumak-Abreu do her work as an electrician in Cornwall, N.Y. Maybe you are one of them. Did you see her recently atop a bucket truck, adding utility outlets to power poles? Or fixing an electric panel in a water-damaged basement?  “You feel just like a normal person, until you actually get confronted by people and you’re like, oh, my goodness, this is real, people know who I am,” says Czumak-Abreu, the 27-year-old daughter and granddaughter of electricians. Since she began posting videos from her job in 2022, she’s gotten thousands of messages from viewers saying she sparked their interest in trade work. Czumak-Abreu’s path is one that more young Americans are considering. Skepticism about the cost and value of four-year degrees is growing, and enrollment in vocational programs has risen as young people pursue well-paying jobs that don’t require desks or so much debt, and come with the potential to be your own boss. The number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018. Fostering that appeal are workers like Czumak-Abreu, whose short videos have racked up millions of views. Some skilled-trades influencers are so popular, they’re making more money as influencers than they do plumbing or wiring. Homeowners who’ve taken to watching do-it-yourself YouTube tutorials and attempting their own sink or ceiling-fan installations are also tuning in. Czumak-Abreu makes $200,000 a year from clicks and brand deals with companies like Klein Tools and Carhartt, though she continues to work, often seven days a week. “I want my company to understand I’m a reliable employee,” she says, adding that if she cut her hours, she’d miss out on the commercial jobs that form the dramatic backbone of her feed, with their oversize coils of cable, outdoor trenches and heavy machinery.

Instead of taking out a predatory loan they'll never be able to pay off to obtain a degree in a white-collar field riddled with uncertainty, Gen Z has (smartly) pivoted to the trades. As reported in The Wall Street Journal yesterday, the number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level since tracking began in 2018. With more workers ditching degrees, companies are pivoting as well. In my research last year for Capterra (which I'll 🔗 in the comments), 47% of recruiters said their employer had already or planned to drop college degree requirements from at least some job openings by 2030. If you're still requiring college degrees on job openings, you could unintentionally be missing out on top talent--especially younger workers that increasingly can't afford a degree. In lieu of requiring degrees, #HR departments and recruiters should: 🎯 Prioritize skills-based hiring 💻 Recognize the quality of top-tier "alternative credentials" like coding bootcamps and industry certifications Have you removed college degree requirements from job openings at your employer? If so, how has it affected your hiring? Let me know in the comments.

🧐 I've been curious about this for years. In fact, I still struggle to understand why more young adults don't pursue this path. Maybe influencers making it cool will help? If you can’t access the piece, I pulled some highlights and the broader trends we're seeing with Whitmer Consulting LLC clients. ➡ Financial: Trade jobs offer lucrative pay without the burden of student loans. Most apprentices also earn while they learn. It's not uncommon for journeymen to hit $100k early in their careers in this market. And that's before the enormous value in the fringe benefits. ➡ Community: Union membership in the trades is a community, where there's advocacy for workers’ rights and opportunities for continuous advancement. ➡ Work-life balance: Trade jobs often come with flexible hours and the ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance. ➡ Empowerment: Skilled trades create paths to becoming your own boss. (H/t to Adam Sherman for dropping the link first thing this morning). #SkilledTrades #GenZCareers #VocationalTraining #BlueCollarCool #TradeJobs #CareerInspiration #WorkforceDevelopment #FutureOfWork #EconomicEmpowerment #JobSecurity #CommunitySupport #TradeInfluencers

So, I know we have a lot of influencers in #aviation like Erika Armstrong Shaesta Waiz talking about becoming a #pilot. But what about the rest of the #careers. This article shows how young people are ellevating #bluecollar careers using #socialmedia and teaching young women about careers in male-dominating fields. It's not surprising videos like this are popular given the popularity of Dirty Jobs and This Old House. #aviation and #aerospace are always complaining how tough it is to interest youngsters in our careers. I'm sure they have videos talking about pilots and #aviationmaintenancetechnicians. But what about #flightdispatch #airtrafficcontrol, #manufacturing? I get that manufacturing may be tough owing to #security but we see #plumbing #welding #electricians in this article -- all of which are needed in our industry. "On TikTok, the hashtag #bluecollar drew 500k posts in the first four months of this year, up 64% over the same period in 2023. Posts hashtagged #electrician increased 77% over the same time, with #constructionworker and #mechanic posting similar jumps, TikTok says. "Many posts tout the wages blue-collar workers can make. Pay for new hires in construction now outstrips pay for new hires in professional services like accounting, according to ADP data. Skilled-trade influencers say they’re also trying to combat decades of stereotypes in which practitioners were seen as grease monkeys or stuck in low-end careers. “We’ve made it more appealing. We have nice vehicles. We own homes, we are successful,” says Matt Panella, 27, a carpenter who drives a Tesla “Kids aren’t going to job sites saying, hey, man, can you hire me? They’re getting to know it on social media, giving them the idea that this is a legit possibility,” says the elder Coffman. https://lnkd.in/eStPASCC

Having options is everything. And, increasingly, more young adults are turning to the trades for career options. Yes, it helps that social media influencers are making it cool, as this piece points out. But never lose sight of what a union career provides: 🚀 Better pay and benefits. Not just a living wage, but a ticket to a better life. 🚀 ZERO student loans from college. 🚀 Job security. 🚀 Better, safer working conditions. 🚀 Earning while you learn as an apprentice. 🚀 Being part of the union community, where someone always has your back. 🚀 Work-life balance. 🚀 Continuous training, learning and skills development. Read about "#BlueCollarCool" and be sure to share with someone who's looking for their perfect fit!

Social media promoting “blue collar” jobs to Gen Z is exactly what is needed to help eliminate the stigma surrounding these trades. A common theme is that construction is limited to a certain segment of society that couldn’t cut it as investment bankers or lawyers. Scroll LinkedIn and you will see these jobs are not glamorized as a pathway to success like others. Well, you’re WRONG! The demand for skilled-trades is higher than ever. Training from vocational schools is cheaper than 4-yr colleges so graduates have less debt and can build businesses/wealth faster. Furthermore, I would argue that A.I. will eliminate “white-collar” jobs way before it starts to affect the construction industry. No structure is the same. My viewpoint on this topic comes from a unique understanding of white and blue collar jobs. Over the past two decades, I have been exposed to both types of jobs working as a lawyer and real estate developer (Me=ADHD!). My advice to high schoolers/twenty-somethings: be a plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc. You will earn a great income and be set for life. A common complaint I hear from contractors is that there are not enough young people getting into the trades. I have walked numerous job sites and found this to be true. As a result, less competition means the cost for these services is higher which is passed along to the consumer. Let’s encourage NOT discourage young people to get into “blue-collar” jobs. To prosper as a society, we have to keep building and repairing. Without these folks our growth stops; we need them! #construction #bluecollar #plumbing #electric #hvac #roofing #carpentry #success #socialmedia The Wall Street Journal Construction Reach mikeroweWORKS Foundation mikeroweWORKS

Great article in the The Wall Street Journal, Gen Z Plumbers and Construction Workers Are Making #BlueCollar Cool: https://lnkd.in/eJ4ZQEDp; It's remarkable to witness Gen Z's renewed interest in skilled trades and blue-collar work. With a 16% increase in enrollments at vocational-focused community colleges, more young people are recognizing the value and opportunities within these fields. This shift is not just about avoiding debt from a four-year degree; it's about embracing rewarding and well-paying careers. The pay for new construction hires now surpasses that of some professional services, making trades an increasingly attractive option. It's exciting to see this resurgence and the positive impact it will have on the industry and our economy. Credit: #LinkedInNews Story this morning: https://lnkd.in/gHzbrn-D What are your thoughts? Join the conversation, tell us below! #GenZ #SkilledTrades #VocationalEducation #CareerOpportunities #BlueCollarPride #newcollar #WorkforceDevelopment