“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 for an apprenticeship through Steamfitters Local 601, and the union directed him to our Racine office. He enrolled in our BIG STEP Apprenticeship Readiness Program for the Construction Trades.
“Coming from the military, I’m used to uniform and structure,” Jake says. “The program was very structured and laid out in a way that I was able to understand.”
Jake did a lot of sprinkler fitting while serving in the military, so he decided to try something new and go into pipe fitting, also knowing that trade had a lot of work. Upon graduating from BIG STEP in July 2024, he went to work submitting his documentation to Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 118 in Kenosha and became a first-year apprentice with the union. Shortly after, Scheck Industries contracted him to work on the Microsoft project in Mount Pleasant.
“It’s been a good experience,” Jake says. “I’m learning something new every day.”
He encourages anyone considering a career in the skilled trades to go through with it and not to hesitate getting started.
“Don’t be afraid to take the next step,” Jake says. “This is the first step you need to take to start this adventure. Just go in with an open mind and stay committed.”