This Gen Z Is Welding Her Own Path with Zoye Bryant

The trades can't find people. Employers know this. Yet most are still ghosting qualified applicants and ignoring an entire demographic that wants in. Zoey Bryant's story shows both problems at once young workers getting shut out and women never making it past the application stage.Zoey dropped out of college after realizing she hated classrooms. Her mom suggested welding. She went to trade school, got her certifications, and then spent six months applying to jobs with zero callbacks. When a pontoon plant finally brought her in to learn aluminum welding on the job, she was outperforming 15-year veterans within two weeks. The talent was there. Employers just weren't looking.Hiring practices need to change if shops actually want to solve their workforce problems. That means calling applicants back, giving young people a real shot to prove their skills, and actively recruiting women instead of defaulting to the same hiring patterns. Zoey's experience at the pontoon plant proves the model works train on the job, test the skill, stop assuming experience always beats fresh talent.Her advice to high schoolers mirrors what employers need to hear: try it before deciding it's not for you. The worst that happens is failure. The best that happens is finding work that actually fits. But young people can't try if shops won't open the door.Highlights:Employers need a hiring system that includes communicating with applicants about where they stand in the process.Veterans and young workers both bring value younger ones just need the opportunity to prove their skills.Young people should try the trades if they're remotely interested instead of defaulting to college.Women bring just as much talent to the trades as men they just need employers willing to give them a real chance to prove it.Are you having a problem with hiring? This episode could be an eye-opener as to one of the reasons.Make sure to subscribe to Blue Collar BS for conversations about solving real workforce problems. Share this with anyone struggling to find good workers in the trades.Get in touch with Zoey:LinkedInInstagramGet in touch with us:Check out the Blue Collar BS website.Steve Doyle:WebsiteLinkedInEmailBrad Herda:WebsiteLinkedInEmailThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrpOP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy