TikTokers promote the construction trades to young workers

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TikTok may be best associated with the latest dance crazes and viral challenges, but the social media platform with more than 1.5 billion monthly users could be a boon in helping the construction industry find its next generation of skilled laborers. 

In fact, many in construction are using the platform to provide younger generations with an informative perspective on careers in the industry and using influencers to help with recruiting.  This movement has become a significant influence on Gen Z’s career choices, inspiring many to consider construction as a viable and rewarding profession.

Chelsea Fenton (@thatunionlaborer), a Massachusetts-based TikToker who has worked with The Laborers’ International Union of North America doing concrete, underground utilities and demolition work for more than 13 years, posted her first TikTok after seeing a Facebook reel of a female electrician and noticing the hundreds of comments underneath the post.

“A light bulb went off in my head that I could do this for my trade and I started posting online about construction and being a woman in the trade and it caught the attention of a lot of women,” she said. “I put myself out there and told them if they needed help finding an apprenticeship or some opportunity in their area, message me.”
 

Today, Fenton has more than 26,500 followers and believes that social media is the best free tool to advertise about the pros of the construction industry, especially for women who might not realize these job options are available. 

“The algorithm is easy to push content to a certain demographic of people,” she said. “I have built my community around women — 70% are women — and people hype each other up. TikTok is one of the easiest ways to get a message across to a lot of people.”  

Fenton’s posts talk about her growing up in the trades and her experiences throughout her career, and tries to offer an emotional connection, such as when she worked on the jobsite while pregnant. 

“If you can make yourself relatable, you will attract people,” she said. “A lot of people don’t really know these are careers that you can do without being $100,000 in debt. My most successful video was me just talking about how much I made, how I bought a house at 27 and showing them the positives.” 

Eddy Lopez (@ez_home) owns his own construction business in Washington state and currently has more than 2.6 million followers checking in to his account to see his latest DIY projects and viral construction videos.  

“It was during the pandemic when I started posting, at first just for fun, and there were a lot of people who loved the tips and DIY posts, and five years later, the platform is used to run our business,” he said. “Anything you can use to teach people is really good content; people love the before-and-after posts.” 

Lopez has had lots of conversations through his posts with those interested in getting into the trade and believes that his TikTok library has helped recruit thousands to the industry. 

“You need to hook people right away, and keep things short and simple,” he said about the posts. “If you stay consistent and keep posting, sooner or later, the algorithm is going to reward you.” 

A different path

New York-based Andrew Brown (@andrewbrowntrades), founder of ToolFetch, a portal for the trades, has 31,000 followers and utilizes TikTok to inspire the next generation to consider careers in construction. 

“My platform is about impact, storytelling and shifting culture in a way that actually helps people,” he said. “TikTok has given me the reach, but more importantly, it’s given this message a real home.”

His posts reach those who feel college might not be the right choice, so content that resonates most involves young men and women on the path to a six-figure career, which includes learning about apprenticeship, union jobs and information on climbing the career ladder. This could include a day-in-the-life post of a welder or electrician or showing jobsites with young people succeeding. 

“If people feel they are mechanically driven, have a technical spark or want to work with their hands, they can see that they can get into a career that’s in high demand and not have the debt follow them vs. going into a four-year college,” Brown said. 

Savvy team-up

A new strategic collaboration between TikTok, the Skilled Careers Coalition and SkillsUSA is looking to boost interest in skilled trades among Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — by tapping into the influence of creators on the popular platform. 

At the heart of the collaboration is Skills Jam, SCC’s youth-led content platform that showcases skilled careers through short- and long-form videos. 

“TikTok is great at storytelling; it’s visual with short soundbites in some cases, and it’s a platform that a lot of young individuals are engaging in,” said Mark Hedstrom, executive director of the SCC. “A lot of approach with this collaboration is to meet young students where they’re at, so it’s a great platform to engage them in an authentic way.” 

Content that he feels entices younger people to the construction trade are posts by people who look like a student, talk like a student and demonstrate why they are passionate about their skilled career.

“This helps engage the students in exploring the opportunity further,” Hedstrom said. “It’s not just about raising awareness but trying to find opportunities to bring students through to taking action, helping them find those opportunities for them to pursue those careers.”