Why kids don't want to be a plumber when they grow up

The trades recruiting problem isn't what you think it is!

Everyone's focused on:

• Wages

• Benefits

• Job boards

• Sign-on bonuses

Nobody's focused on the actual problem:

Kids don't think the trades are for them.

And by the time they're 18, that belief is locked in.

So Ryan Kiscaden wrote a children's book series about HVAC and plumbing.

Not to be cute, but to fix a 15-year perception gap at the source.

His argument is that you can't out-recruit a bad story. You have to tell a better one earlier.

👉 Listen to the full episode here → 

Three things from the episode worth your attention:

1/ The school system isn't your ally. Counselors push four-year degrees. Nobody points kids toward trades. If you're not showing up in your community - schools, events, books, conversations - the narrative vacuum fills itself. Badly.

2/ ADHD might be your best recruiting angle. Hands-on. Variable. Immediate feedback. Problem-solving under pressure. That's not a bad fit for a high-energy brain. It's a perfect one. Nobody in the industry is saying this out loud yet!

3/ AI is changing the "dirty job" perception. Technology is making the trades look more sophisticated. That's an opening. The contractors who lean into it "we use AI diagnostics, smart systems, cutting-edge tools" are going to attract a different kind of candidate.

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