2025
BIG STEP marks its 50th anniversary with a major renovation of its Milwaukee location, dedicating the training floor with a new name: the Vince Toran Training Center.
2025 Milwaukee Summer Trades Academy Draws 180 Students
As originally written by Ethan Duran in The Daily Reporter A week-long summer trades academy for high school students has returned Milwaukee. WRTP | BIG STEP on Monday launched its annual Milwaukee Summer Trades Academy which will introduce roughly 180 Milwaukee area students to construction careers. The five-day academy will run June 23-27 and will
Bell to lead statewide expansion for WRTP | BIG STEP
The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership | Building Industry Group Skilled Trade Employment Program (WRTP | BIG STEP) has hired Laura Bell to lead the statewide expansion of the nonprofit’s certified pre-apprenticeship programming. Bell brings more than 12 years of experience in project management and, as an inside journeyman wireman, a deep knowledge of the
WRTP | BIG STEP Treasurer Jeannie Lauret Named Notable Nonprofit Board Leader
As originally published in BizTimes Jeannie Lauret is head of Menomonee Falls-based custom fabricator company Duwe Metal Products. She has served on the board of Milwaukee-based nonprofit WRTP | BIG STEP for five years and currently is the board treasurer. “Duwe Metal Products is engrained in Milwaukee’s subcontractor culture, thanks to Lauret’s leadership,” said Lindsay
WRTP | BIG STEP Co-Chair Henry Hurt Named Notable Nonprofit Board Leader
As originally published in BizTimes Henry Hurt, founder and president of Wauwatosa-based Hurt Electric Inc., has been on the WRTP | BIG STEP board for 27 years and currently serves as co-chair. “As a 1978 graduate of BIG STEP’s certified pre-apprenticeship training, Hurt brings an incredible understanding of the nonprofit’s programming and the apprenticeship
WRTP | BIG STEP Partner Receives Grant to Fuel Economic Growth
As originally written by Marquette Today. Dr. Yong Bai, McShane Chair and Professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering in the Opus College of Engineering, has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for research and curriculum development of infrastructure construction and engineering. The goal of the Training
WRTP | BIG STEP Gets Grant to Expand Apprenticeship Pathways
As Wisconsin’s skilled trades workforce faces a labor shortage, the number of Registered Apprentices has reached a record high. This is thanks, in part, to WRTP | BIG STEP attracting new talent to the skilled trades and offering accessible training opportunities. With a $10 million grant from Ascendium Education Group, great things are on
Overcoming Labels, Limiting Beliefs: Edmund Reetz
Enrolling in WRTP | BIG STEP’s Entry-Level Construction Skills (ELCS) program taught Edmund Reetz, who was already a welder by trade, some unexpected lessons. “There were valuable transferable skills that I learned going through the program, like showing up on time and committing yourself to something,” Edmund says. “It was just what I needed
Taking Career to New Heights: Ricardo Rojas
The apprenticeship pathway is taking Ricardo Rojas to new heights. The 2021 BIG STEP Builders graduate is working toward journeyman status, with the goal of eventually becoming a foreman. Our Milwaukee office’s BIG STEP Builders program introduces high school juniors and seniors to careers in construction through hands-on projects, field trips to union halls,
Breaking Norms, Cementing Career: Tatyana Klahn
Tatyana Klahn heard about WRTP | BIG STEP from her brother, who came to us for career services, but she blazed a path all her own as a 2024 Madison Summer Trades Academy and Entry-Level Construction Skills graduate. Prior to starting the Summer Trades Academy, Tatyana had no experience with the trades. “I had