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
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
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,
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
Brandon with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Obtaining certified pre-apprenticeship credentials “catapulted me into my future,” says Brandon Ericson, a 2024 graduate of WRTP | BIG STEP’s Certified Production Technician and High School Equivalency Diploma (CPT HSED) training. During the 16-week program, participants simultaneously earned certifications in two Manufacturing Skill Standards Council
“WRTP | BIG STEP impacted my life in a big way,” says Jake Ondike, a veteran who launched his post-military career with the help of WRTP | BIG STEP’s Racine staff. “It’s the start of my new career that I’m going to be doing for the next 20 or so years.” In 2024, Jake applied
“Strategic doing” is WRTP | BIG STEP’s critical way of engaging with projects, programs, and goals. This strategic doing propelled us to start and end 2024 in the national spotlight. In January, the former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen toured our Milwaukee office and presented $1.5 million in federal funds to modernize our
WRTP | BIG STEP is proud to announce it has been selected to join the 2025 Youth Skills and Employment Accelerator, the largest national network of youth-serving nonprofits focused on improving young people’s employment prospects. As part of the year-long program, WRTP | BIG STEP will receive funding, training, and networking opportunities to expand
As originally published in Current’s ReNEWsletter. Water has always been a precious resource. Today, it’s also a promising career opportunity. That’s because there is a growing demand for skilled water workers to ensure our access to clean drinking water and safe wastewater management for public health. But a massive wave of retirements looms. According to US
MILWAUKEE, WI (March 18, 2025) - Milwaukee-based WRTP | BIG STEP has been awarded funding from Madison-based Ascendium Education Group to lead the newly formed Apprenticeship Pathway Coalition Initiative (APCI). Ascendium has granted WRTP | BIG STEP up to $10,000,000 over the next five years to develop Wisconsin's future apprenticeship-focused workforce. These funds are designated
