To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, WRTP | BIG STEP of South Central Wisconsin and the Building Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin are hosting an Apprenticeship Career Day & Fair on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Plumbers Local 75 Training Center, 2102 E Springs Dr., Madison, WI. Welcoming remarks will be presented by WRTP | BIG STEP’s President & CEO Lindsay Blumer at 9:15 a.m. followed by featured guests and speakers Governor Tony Evers, Deputy Secretary Pamela McGillivray, Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards Director David Polk, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, and graduates of WRTP | BIG STEP currently working in apprenticeships. The goal of the event is to spread awareness to high school students and adults about the many benefits of entering a career as a registered apprentice in the skilled trades, including the ability to earn family-sustaining wages without accumulating education-related debt. The event is sponsored by Walbec Group.
At the event, over 150 student attendees will explore the various skilled trades through hands-on projects and the opportunity to meet with local employers currently hiring. Unions partners to be in attendance include Bricklayers and Allied Crafts Local 13, Carpenters Local 314, Heat and Frost Insulators Local 19, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Local 18, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 159, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades DC 7, Iron Workers Local Union Local 383, Construction Laborers Local 464, Plumbers Local 75, Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 599, Roofers and Water Proofers Local 11 and Steamfitters Local 601. There will also be many industry partners and contractors participating in the event.
With 75 youth apprenticeship pathways and more than 200 registered apprenticeship programs, there are many different career pathways available in Wisconsin. Registered apprenticeship is a high-quality, debt-free, equitable “earn and learn” model with a nationally recognized credential system that helps employers hire a more demographically diverse workforce and provides workers with on-the-job learning experience, job- related instruction with a mentor, and a clear pathway to a good-paying, high-demand job. WRTP | BIG STEP provides training programs and career services with a special emphasis on apprenticeship readiness training to prepare participants with the safety and education credentials they need to enter the skilled trades.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration can be completed online at or in person at 2102 E Springs Dr., Madison, WI.
ABOUT WRTP | BIG STEP
WRTP | BIG STEP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit workforce intermediary dedicated to connecting people to family- sustaining jobs. Our mission is to enhance the ability of public and private sector organizations to recruit, develop, and retain a more diverse, qualified workforce in construction, manufacturing and emerging sectors of the regional economy.