Carhartt and Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation Reimagine 1981 "Musicians Wanted" Ad to Recruit Skilled Workers this Labor Day

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.

Carhartt teamed up with Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation to help connect a few lucky job seekers to build a mock Metallica stage at Upstaging, Inc. and learn more about skilled jobs in the live events industry. Documented in a new video, “Hard Rock is Hard Work”, participants of the workshop learned valuable skills including carpentry, construction, welding, fabrication, transportation, electrical and mechanical engineering.

Drawing inspiration from the 1981 “musicians wanted” ad that formed Metallica, Carhartt and All Within My Hands created a national want ad aimed at raising funds and connecting people to workforce education opportunities. The reimagined ad features band members from Metallica with copy that harkens back to the original 1981 ad.

To help fund the workforce of the future this Labor Day, all online sales on Monday, Sept. 6 will be donated to All Within My Hands’ Metallica Scholars program. 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.

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 recreating that ad to recruit people to life changing jobs in the skilled trades.

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 .