Inspiring the Next Generation to Pursue a Skilled Career

What’s happening in this space

For far too long, there have been only two paths forward for youth looking for meaningful careers. College and the military. But a third choice exists, and it’s desperately needed by our country. Without more skilled tradesmen and women, our country is at threat of losing its economic edge.

What’s missing

There’s a gap of information, education, inspiration, career pathways, and clear direction. If a youth wants to enter the skilled trades, they don’t often know where to turn. And every company and industry seems to treat this challenge like a silo’ed need—not an industry wide focus.

Why this initiative is needed now

We need to rebuild our base of skilled tradespeople to keep up with the demand that a growing America is placing upon its workforce.

Our mission

• To strengthen America by creating a stronger workforce able to meet the demands of the coming decades by inspiring youth to find meaningful careers in the skilled careers
• To bring together a coalition of likeminded businesses, thought leaders and partners

Who it serves: 65 million American youth between the ages of 10-24; the industries that rely upon them.

Core strategy

Strategy 1: Inspire

After generations of stigmas created about the skilled trades and a unified national voice telling our youth that the “only path” to the American dream is through colleges and universities, there is a new generation that is seeing the world through a different lens. We are helping foster a youth movement around skilled careers, creating content for, and with, the youth of today to show how fulfilling and rewarding a career in the trades can be.

Strategy 2: Connect

There are two great recruitment machines for youth talent in America – universities and the military. They both have spent heavily to create an end-to-end ecosystem that paves a pathway for post-secondary career choices. Skilled Careers are missing crucial platforms and connectivity across business, industry, education, government and families that are needed to solve the skilled careers gap. We are creating a coalition across these sectors to address this collective challenge and move further, faster.

Strategy 3: Convert

By inspiring the next generation of talent and creating a streamlined ecosystem, we can convert this talent pool at scale more efficiently and effectively. Helping employers connect with job ready, skilled talent and ensuring that retention of this talent is a priority.

How we measure success

Success is measured in two areas. The first is the number of youth directly connected to skilled career opportunities. In 2025, that number reached nearly 500,000. The second is the number of companies, trade organizations and educational institutions who partner with us to grow the Skilled Careers Coalition, which today numbers more than 100.

2025 statistics

• 100M+ Gen Z views of SkillsJam’s content and affiliates’ content
• 100+ coalition partners across sectors
• 11 convenings
• 24 policymakers engaged
• 470K+ youth activated and engaged
• $20-25M leveraged impact value through industry partnerships

How impact will be tracked: Are we closing the growing gap of skilled tradespeople in our country?

Reporting cadence: Annual updates, comprehensive visual report annually.

Decision-making and updates

Who is responsible: The team at Anonymous Philanthropy is led by a number of people with expertise in Coalition Building, Content Creation, Forging Partnerships, Marketing, Government Affairs, and a number of other skill sets.

How often strategy is reviewed: Strategy is reviewed and set annually.

Key collaborators: TikTok, Warner Bros. Discovery, BlueRecruit, MHI, SkillsUSA, Harbor Freight, IGN, John Deere, CNN, SoFi Stadium, American School Counselor Association, Career Education Colleges and Universities, and more.

Subject matter expert

Ty Pennington

Beloved TV host and home construction expert, Ty champions our entertainment series “Skills Jam” to build passion for the skilled trades in order to close the growing gap that threatens our nation. From working directly with our team of Skilled Trades Ambassadors to telling the world about our work on Good Morning America, Ty rolls up his sleeves and is committed to empowering the next generation of builders and fixers.

Success story

With a shared vision to bring the youth of today to the skilled careers of tomorrow, Skilled Careers Coalition (SCC) and SkillsUSA in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) launched a development program in February 2025 to educate and mentor students about skilled trade career opportunities across the entertainment industry.

Hands-on activations throughout the year created opportunities for hundreds of students to engage with industry leaders, gain real-world experience, and prepare for successful careers in the skilled trades. SCC brought executives from Warner Bros. Studios to Las Vegas Academy of the Arts in Nevada to meet with more than 300 SkillsUSA students for a dynamic discussion panel and breakout groups to share their own projects with experts. Over the summer, 100 SkillsUSA students stepped inside WBD’s Techwood Campus in Georgia to explore how skilled trades power the magic of media.

Meeting with electricians, camera operators, engineers, and countless others who make world-class productions possible, they took a journey that revealed the future of news, sports, and entertainment isn’t just about talent on the screen—it’s built by skilled hands behind the scenes.