New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Forty years ago, Metallica's Lars Ulrich took out a classified ad in a Los Angeles newspaper that landed him and his soon-to-be
Metallica co-founder
James Hetfield the job of their dreams. This Labor Day, Carhartt and Metallica's All Within My Hands foundation are taking a page out of the band's playbook to recruit a new generation of people to the skilled trades as the U.S. faces a labor shortage, especially in live events.
Drawing inspiration from the 1981 "musicians wanted" ad that formed Metallica, Carhartt and All Within My Hands created a want ad aimed at raising funds and connecting people to workforce education opportunities. The reimagined ad features band members from
Metallica paired with copy that harkens back to the original ad with a World War-era "We Want You" feel. Job seekers and supporters alike are directed to visit Carhartt.com to learn more about how to get involved with All Within My Hands'
Metallica Scholars, an initiative dedicated to providing skills and services to students of all ages who are looking to enter a traditional trade or other applied learning program.
"To build the workforce of the future, we need to connect more people to the training and education that helps fill essential jobs," said
Janet Ries, Vice President of Marketing at Carhartt. "With our partnership, we're sending the message that whether you're in high school looking for a first step, or out of work looking for a new start: come join the skilled trades. What better time to recruit job seekers into these exciting, high-demand opportunities than on Labor Day?"
As one of the biggest touring acts of all time,
Metallica knows that stage crews and skilled workers are the backbone of the live events industry. To show just how essential these jobs are, Carhartt and All Within My Hands recruited a few lucky job seekers to build a mock
Metallica stage piece at Upstaging, Inc., a production and transportation company who helps put on shows for some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment business. The workshop experience is documented in a new video, "Hard Rock is Hard Work," and provides a look at the various trade jobs in live events that are also transferrable to the larger job market - including welding and fabrication, lighting and electrical, construction, transportation and more.
Carhartt's Labor Day campaign comes after millions of people in the live events industry were put out of work as concerts, sporting events, plays and all other events were shut down due to the pandemic. The need also applies to the country at large as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 943,000 new jobs in July 2021, many of which are in industries that require skilled labor.
"Carhartt and All Within My Hands are bound by our shared passion for supporting workforce education," said Dr. Edward Frank, Executive
Director at All Within My Hands Foundation. "As two organizations dedicated to providing opportunity, we hope to expand the
Metallica Scholars program to include even more schools this year, and to get even more students trained for a career in the skilled trades."
Carhartt believes labor should be honored every day, which is why the workwear brand is donating all online sales on www.Carhartt.com on Labor Day to All Within My Hands'
Metallica Scholars to provide future opportunities to people interested in filling these essential jobs. The workforce education program not only connects students to hands-on learning but provides direct support to 23 schools through the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) to enhance their career and technical education programs.
For more information on Carhartt's Labor Day campaign or All Within My Hands'
Metallica Scholars program, please visit www.Carhartt.com/every-day-is-labor-day .
Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium workwear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged products for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, with more than 5,500 associates worldwide, Carhartt is family-owned and managed by the descendants of the company's founder, Hamilton Carhartt. For more information, visit www.carhartt.com.
All Within My Hands (AWMH) is a non-profit, philanthropic organization conceived by the members and management of
Metallica and dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. 100% of donations go directly to local organizations that the Foundation supports. Please visit: AllWithinMyHands.org for more information.
