MILWAUKEE (July 27, 2026) — WRTP | BIG STEP has been awarded a nearly $1.3 million YouthBuild grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide education, workforce training and career opportunities for youth in Milwaukee. YouthBuild is a pre-apprenticeship program that prepares young people for family-sustaining careers through education, occupational skills training, paid work experience, leadership development and community service.
The three-year grant will enable WRTP | BIG STEP and its partners to serve 66 Milwaukee youth ages 18 – 24 starting in November 2026. The YouthBuild program targets youth who left high school without a diploma and either are a member of a low-income family, disabled, involved in foster care or the court system, the child of an incarcerated parent, or a migrant. Participating youth earn their high school equivalency diploma (HSED) and gain hands-on, paid experience in residential construction or roadbuilding.
“This grant is an opportunity to expand access to meaningful career pathways for youth in Milwaukee,” said John Anderson, interim president and CEO of WRTP | BIG STEP. “Our employer and union partnership will allow us to connect YouthBuild participants with apprenticeships and other industry career opportunities that lead to long-term financial stability. Our goal is not only to prepare young adults for in-demand careers, but also to help them launch those careers and to provide the ongoing support that they need to overcome barriers to employment.”
WRTP | BIG STEP will partner with Literacy Services of Wisconsin and Revitalize Milwaukee to help youth complete their high school education and earn industry credentials. Literacy Services of Wisconsin will deliver HSED instruction for all participants. For the pre-apprenticeship portion of the program, participants will choose to pursue either residential construction training or transportation and roadbuilding training.
Revitalize Milwaukee will provide residential construction training, allowing participants to complete critical home repairs for a low-income Milwaukee homeowner while earning lead abatement worker certification, certified pre-apprenticeship credentials, OSHA 10 certification, and First Aid/CPR certification. Youth enrolled in WRTP | BIG STEP’s construction pre-apprenticeship will prepare for careers in transportation and roadbuilding, earning certified pre-apprenticeship credentials, OSHA certification, First Aid/CPR certification, a Class B Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and flagger certification.
The Greater Milwaukee Urban League will provide leadership development for all youth and coordinate community service opportunities. In addition, all participants will receive paid work experience and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy instruction to help prepare them for today’s evolving workforce.
Although this marks the first time WRTP | BIG STEP has served as the primary YouthBuild grantee, the organization brings more than 25 years of YouthBuild experience through its longstanding partnership with Employ Milwaukee, the workforce development board serving Milwaukee County.
WRTP | BIG STEP will begin information sessions and enrollment for YouthBuild in the coming weeks. For more information about enrolling in the program, email milwaukee@wrtp.org or call (414) 342-9787. For more information about WRTP | BIG STEP’s YouthBuild grant and its programs, contact Michaela Paukner, director of marketing, development and communications, at (414) 737-2435 or mpaukner@wrtp.org.
About WRTP | BIG STEP
The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership | Building Industry Group Skilled Trades Employment Program (WRTP | BIG STEP) enhances 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.
