INDIANAPOLIS, IN — TikTok, the Skilled Careers Coalition, SkillsUSA Indiana alumni, and Ivy Tech Community College hosted "The Toolbelt Generation," an event convening educators, workforce leaders, students, and content creators for a strategic discussion on how to address the state’s growing skilled trades gap.
Held at Ivy Tech Community College, the event featured two panel discussions focused on the evolving ways Gen Z is discovering career pathways and how platforms like TikTok are being used to attract the next generation of tradespeople.
The event is part of a broader national initiative stemming from a partnership launched earlier this year among TikTok, the Skilled Careers Coalition, and SkillsUSA. Together, the organizations aim to elevate skilled trades careers and meet the growing demand for talent through storytelling, advocacy, and youth engagement.
The first fireside chat with Dr. Marty Pollio, President of Ivy Tech Community College, explored how career exploration is increasingly happening online and how industry leaders in Indiana must adapt their outreach to meet young people where they are — especially on social media.
“Participants in today’s 'Toolbelt Generation' panel agreed that to move further, faster, in closing the skilled labor gap in Indiana and beyond, we need to embrace new sources of inspiration and learning for young people to explore their passion and purpose through a career in the trades,” said JJ Owen, Executive Director of the Skilled Careers Coalition. “Gen Z represents the future of the skilled labor workforce, but to reach more young people at scale about a career in the trades, it’s critical to meet them where they are — and that’s on social media.”
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| Brandeis Machinery |
The second panel featured local TikTok creators and trades professionals sharing how they use the platform to tell their stories, spark interest, and build communities around skilled trades careers.
“TikTok has become a powerful platform for career exploration, especially for Gen Z and the skilled trades,” said Christopher Sbrocco, a local TikTok creator promoting careers in the skilled trades. “It gives us an opportunity to show what we really do day in and day out — the precision, technical skill, and problem-solving that go into our work. It also lets us highlight the exciting parts of the job: the tools we use, the projects we tackle and the pride we take in our craft.”
The event brought together a wide range of perspectives and voices, including Pollio; Stephanie Bothun, Chief Operating Officer of CareerWise USA; Owen; Maci Runkel, Indiana culinary skilled trade business owner; local TikTok creators Sbrocco and Mike Simon; and Ivy Tech students and SkillsUSA Indiana alumni.
Throughout the panels, speakers emphasized the urgent need to attract young workers to fill high-demand roles in construction, manufacturing, HVAC, and other skilled professions. By sharing firsthand experiences — from apprenticeships to online storytelling — the event highlighted the creative and community-based approaches helping close the skilled trades gap.
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| O'Leary's Contractors Equipment & Supply |
TikTok has emerged as a key platform for engaging Gen Z around career opportunities, with creators using the app to demystify skilled trades, show what a day on the job looks like, and build content that aims to inspire curiosity and pride in hands-on work.
