#TradeTough

Skilled
Trades
Are in demand
Pay well
Are professional occupations
Are diverse
Offer job stability
Require hard work
Don't require 4 years of college
Are hands-on occupations
Are open to everyone
#TradeTough is an awareness campaign
that seeks to inform middle and high
school students about the potential for
career success in the skilled trades.
The United States is experiencing a
skilled trades crisis

began to emerge from the COVID-
In the spring of 2021, as the country
19 pandemic, skilled trade jobs remained unfilled for longer than any
other job category because of a lack of qualified workers.

The construction and trades industries need qualified, skilled workers

to ensure the infrastructure of our daily modern lives is maintained.

Most of us take these modern conveniences for granted, but they

require skilled workers to build, maintain and upgrade systems and
structures to support our daily lives at home and in our communities.
State of the skilled trades industry

• In 2020, there were around 630,000 people in the U.S. training as

apprentices while only 12 million were enrolled full-time in colleges or
universities.
• Construction is growing! In 2011, construction was a $442B industry
and by 2016 had reached a $728B
• 83% of workers in skilled trades report “Career Satisfaction”
• Jobs are available! In the Seattle area alone there were more than 1700
jobs available when searching for “skilled trades.”
• 80% of construction firms report they are having a hard time filling
hourly craft positions
 SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Renewed efforts in schools around "STEM" Perception that skilled trades are "menial"
careers False notion that vocational education is "less
Students required to explore careers all through than" college path
school Reputation that trades are for old white men
Parents & students recognize student debt can Lack of exposure to skilled trades in K-12
be unmanageable
Gen Z open to skilled trades careers

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Outreach from the construction industry to Stigma if students don't enroll in a 4-year school
schools Lack of understanding about how to enter the
Renewed interest in vocational education skilled trades
STEM/STEAM focus in schools Students lack basic "hands-on" skills as they
graduate high school
Campaign Audience

GEN Z
The main target audience for this campaign is Gen Z. Gen Z
is the generation born between 1995-2012 (approximately
age 9-26).
Today’s pre-teens, teens and young adults have recently
experienced a global pandemic, racial and political unrest
and uncertainty in the job market. They are less likely to
consider a four-year degree than they were in recent
history. More than 50 percent of them believe they can
attain professional success without a four-year degree.
More than 60 percent of them believe a skill-based
education (trade skills, nursing, STEM, etc.) makes sense
and they understand the path to these careers is shorter
and requires far less time and money.
Gen Z is looking for a future career with high wages and
stability.
They are motivated by authenticity and honesty
They look to influencers on social media
Don't want to accumulate massive amounts of student debt
after high school
#TradeTough
Skilled trades are in-demand
Campaign Theme
Skilled trades are careers of the future
The campaign theme is #TradeTough. This awareness
campaign seeks to inform middle and high school students
about the potential for career success in the skilled trades. Skilled trades are professional occupations
Campaign Objectives
The goal of this campaign is to increase awareness of the
Skilled trades are for everyone
skilled trades as a future career (and a great alternative to
a traditional 4-year university education) among middle
and high school students. The campaign also seeks to
reduce stereotypes and negative views of the skilled trades
as a valid path to a rewarding future where students earn
high wages in a stable career.

Call to Action
The call to action is for middle and high school students to
enroll in skilled trades courses at their school to explore
the possibilities of future careers. It also aims to increase
post-high school graduate enrollment in skilled-trades
training and apprenticeships.
Campaign Strategies

• Build media network to help push the #TradeTough campaign

theme (locally and nationally)
• Develop local and national partnerships to push campaign
messaging (skilled trade groups, chambers of commerce, school
districts, large construction firms)
• Create a dedicated webpage and social media spaces to highlight
and promote the skilled trades and the #TradeTough campaign
• Curate ‘influencers’ to post to social media throughout the
campaign (influencers will be diverse and include women and men of
various backgrounds and races)

#TradeTough
Creative Concepts
Logo
Instagram TikTok
Marisol is our #TradeTough story of the
week. She graduated from high school last
year and is now in an electrical trainee
apprenticeship earning $16.00 an hour
while she works on certifications in the
electrical trades. At the end of four years,
she’ll be earning $47 an hour with
exceptional benefits, wages up to $57 an
hour and unlimited career potential. Learn
more about her journey here:
www.bit.ly.marisol #TradeTough
#TradesForAll

#TradeTough
Hashtags #TradesForAll
#TradeSmart
Timeline
February 2022 - LAUNCH CHAMPAIGN

Continue campaign for 12 months with a different theme/focus each month

March – focus on commercial construction-related careers
April - #TradesForAll – focus on diversity in the trades
May – Focus on trade schools (traditionally May 1 is decision day for colleges)
June – Aviation industry careers
July – Marine industry careers
August – Summer internship showcase
September – Influencer Blitz
October – focus on apprenticeship programs
November – Student success stories
December – trades through the years (historic focus and importance of the trades to our modern lifestyle)
January - #TradeSmart – trades as a professional occupation

TRACK METRICS
Website traffic
Page views, resource downloads
Reach, Followers, Hashtags, Engagement, Likes & Shares on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube
Enrollment in skilled trades courses in middle & high school
Media coverage tracking
Monitor audience demographics on TIkTok, Instagram & Youtube (goal is to reach Gen Z)
Monitor sentiment around the campaign theme – what are people saying about it?
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