Steve Whan
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education
MEDIA RELEASE
From scroll to skills: TikTok's Tools of the Trade with TAFE NSW
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
From butchers to bakers, barbers and builders, The NSW Government and TikTok are helping Australians discover new interests and inspiring them to consider a career outside of a university degree. Countless skilled workers are turning from TikTok to share their tricks of the trade and inspire young people to fill essential skills gaps.
To help demonstrate the real world impact of showcasing trades online, TikTok Australia and the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan, will host an in-person creator careers event, where young people can meet and be mentored by some of the biggest TikTok creators leading their fields.
There are currently 48 million #LearnOnTikTok posts showing how Australians are turning to the platform to discover the skills to nail their working futures.
Tradies have built a solid foundation on Tiktok, with more than 6.8 million posts showing how Australians are turning to the platform to discover the skills to nail their working futures.
One of those making an impact is Yana Marks, better known as @sydneyplumbingchick, who is inspiring the next generation of female tradies, attracting almost 390,000 TikTok followers and more than 13.6 million likes for her real, relatable and empowering on-the-job plumbing content.
While Australia has more than 100,000 plumbers, only about two per cent are women, making Yana and the other #WomeninTrades even more impactful.
According to Jobs and Skills Australia, trades workers remain a cornerstone of the workforce, with nearly 2 million Australians (14% of all workers) taking up a trade. However, NSW continues to face shortages in critical areas including construction, manufacturing and care.
To inspire young people to consider a career as a skilled tradesworker, attendees at today's TikTok's Tools of the Trade event can participate in a series of workshops, discuss pathway options with TAFE NSW representatives, speak to the 2025 NSW Training Award winner, and take home prizes from their favourite TikTok creators.
With barbering tips from a 16 year-old barber Will Green (@cutsbygreeny), a floristry workshop by neuroscientist turned florist Ben Wong (@__fayun), burgers and business with Ali Chebbani (@chebbo) and mentoring from Yana Mark (@sydneyplumberchick), TikTok is helping young people make the transition from scroll to skill.
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said:
"If you've ever renovated or needed essential work completed, you'll know that NSW needs more tradies. TikTok has become an online toolkit for turning passion into profession, and today we're showcasing some of these skills to encourage more young people to consider a future in this space.
"It's especially exciting to see young women using TikTok to show how they can succeed in traditionally male-dominated industries. The number of women training as apprentice plumbers in NSW has grown more than five-fold in just three years. Hopefully, this number continues to grow as more women tradies share their journeys on TikTok.
"As young people start to think about their future, I hope this event inspires them to consider a rewarding career path through TAFE NSW that builds not only their own futures, but the future of Australia.
Plumber, Yana Marks (@sydneyplumberchick), said:
"I didn't expect a career as a plumber to feel so rewarding. The practical, hands-on work solves real problems, and it's empowering to carve out my own space and find success in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
"Documenting my journey on TikTok alongside so many incredible female tradies has helped me to build a community that supports and inspires the next generation of women in trades.
"I'm excited to be joining TikTok's Tools of the Trade event to share my experience breaking down stereotypical barriers, and to encourage more women to consider a career as a skilled tradesworker."
Barber, Will Green (@cutsbygreeny), said:
"TikTok's allowed me to discover my passion, learn from a community of barbers, find an audience, and set up my own studio and small business.
"A great haircut can transform your life, and TikTok has transformed my hobby into a future career, I started cutting my mates' hair for fun, and now have people driving over an hour for a haircut, which is pretty cool!
"As a student thinking about my own future, I'm pumped to chat with other young people figuring out their next step at TikTok's Tools of the Trade event, and hope my journey inspires others to follow their passions."
Creators and skills on display at TikTok's Tools of the Trade with TAFE NSW:
Barber, Will Green (@cutsbygreeny)
- Haircuts and barbering tips from self-taught 16 year-old schoolboy barber, @cutsbygreeny
- 175k followers and 2.4M likes for his transformations, dedicated followers, and fresh cuts.
Plumber, Yana Marks (@sydneyplumberchick)
- Advice for women in trades from plumber and Tradie Chicks founder, @sydneyplumberchick
- 380.9k followers and 13.6M likes for bathroom makeover, on the job moments, and female empowerment
Business owner, Ali "Chebbo" Chebbani (@chebbo)
- Burgers with a side of business trips and viral success from Chebbo's Burgers
- 1.2M followers and 42.1M likes for his business journey, unique burger flavours, and copycat recipes
Florist, Bon Wong (@__fayun)
- Floristry workshop with neuroscientist-turned-creative-floral-designer, @__fayun
- 1.6k followers and 29.6k likes for her floristry journey, floral workshops and bouquet designs.
Useful TikTok stats:
- #learnontiktok - 48.2M posts
- #barber - 7.6M posts
- #construction - 6.8M posts
- #baker - 1.4M posts
- #florist - 1.3M posts
- #electrician - 1.3M posts
- #carpenter - 835.5K posts
- #plumber - 464.1K posts
- #apprentice - 260.1K
- #womenintrades - $8.5K
