Bates Technical College
Power, Pride and Purpose
With grant funding in place, Bates Technical College set out to remove barriers to trade careers for two overlapping audiences: women of color and military veterans. Though more women are joining the trades, many professions remain male-dominated. As a neighbor to a large military base, the school also hoped to appeal to veterans looking for their next move. JayRay was brought in to develop a targeted campaign that could stretch a modest budget while delivering meaningful results.
Guiding Thought
People don’t enter new careers because they’re told they should. They do it when they see themselves in the role and feel confident that they can get there. By carefully shaping messaging to overcome specific barriers — perception, confidence and awareness — we can help turn dreams into action.
Tech-Driven, Ambition-Powered
We created a dual-track campaign that speaks directly to each audience’s motivations. For women of color, messaging reframed the trades as technology-driven careers in which smarts and problem-solving matter most. For veterans, the focus was pride, purpose and hands-on work that builds on existing strengths.
The campaign rolled out across print, animated digital and social ads, Spanish-language radio, posters in targeted neighborhoods, a campaign landing page and testimonial videos — reaching audiences where they already were.
Centered on Insight, Not Scale
Each group faced different perceptions, motivators and hesitations, and we knew a one-size-fits-all message wouldn’t move the needle. Working closely with Bates Tech staff and partner vendors, we designed a lean campaign where every message mattered, allowing each group to see themselves in a new light.
When early success created new opportunities, we pivoted the creative to support additional recruitment efforts for nursing and public safety programs, proving the campaign’s value beyond its original scope.
Results: Seats Filled
