This Gen Z Is Welding Her Own Path with Zoye Bryant

This Gen Z Is Welding Her Own Path with Zoye Bryant

From Blue-Collar BS by Brad Herda and Steve Doyle

May 29, 2026 · 27 min · Episode 207

About this episode

Zoye Bryant shares her journey in welding and the challenges faced by young workers and women in the trades.

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…

People in this episode

Hosts: Brad Herda, Steve Doyle

Guest: Zoye Bryant

Topics covered

  • welding
  • Gen Z
  • employment challenges
  • women in trades
  • hiring practices

Keywords

  • welding
  • Gen Z
  • employment
  • trades
  • hiring practices
  • women in trades
  • job applications

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