Jessica Benson is not necessarily someone you would think of as a person who would find her love of working in the trades. Before going through BIG STEP, 26-year-old Jessica had earned her degree in Chemistry. Even though many of her family members are in the trades, she had never thought about it
Workforce consortia we reviewed connected small businesses to a coordinated system of organizations and activities that provided the services and information they needed to address both current and future workforce needs. Current needs included identifying and hiring new employees as well as training existing employees. Consortia activities to address businesses’ needs for new employees included
For American workers, having a high school or general equivalency diploma (GED)—which once represented a means of entrance to the middle class—is no longer adequate for finding steady employment. In fact, three quarters of low-wage workers have these qualifications but lack the relevant occupational skills and connections to employers needed to launch a career. At
TechTerns provides Bradley Technical High School students with a comprehensive two and a half year project-based learning experience in the construction, healthcare, and architecture industries. This project is an intensive collaboration between WRTP/BIG STEP and Mortenson Construction, Cannon Design, Froedtert Hospital, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and Bradley Tech. CLICK HERE TO
By Filiberto Nolasco Gomez, Workday Minnesota In Minnesota, the IMT program is two years old. BERMO is the first company to house the program and graduate a class. Longtime employees and new certificate holder Steve Anderson explains that "you can still teach an old dog new tricks.” Anderson embodies the intention of the program. According to the program
This report from the Center On Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) provides the story of the innovation in apprenticeship that is the IMT Apprenticeship. As the paper illustrates, IMT is remaking apprenticeship for the new and rapidly evolving industrial sector. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REPORT
Milwaukee Area Technical College and WRTP | BIG STEP launched the Milwaukee Skilled Trades Consortium Thursday, April 6, at MATC’s Education Center at Walker’s Square, 816 West National Ave. MATC President Dr. Vicki J. Martin and WRTP | BIG STEP President and CEO Mark Kessenich explained how the partnership will benefit area residents and employers.
As part of the Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Apprenticeship's first graduating class, Cassandra Patterson shares her experience with the program and how it is helping her advance in her career. The IMT Registered Apprenticeship focuses on increasing the pipeline of highly qualified and diverse individuals prepared to enter middle- and high-skilled occupations within the growing
Through the economic ups and downs of the last few years, it has become clear that cities and states simply must have competitive workforce development policies to compete in a changing economy. Coherent and sophisticated training programs accomplish two key goals for policymakers: they help attract knowledge-driven companies that ultimately can help move states
For American workers, having a high school or general equivalency diploma (GED)—which once represented a means of entrance to the middle class—is no longer adequate for finding steady employment. In fact, three quarters of low-wage workers have these qualifications but lack the relevant occupational skills and connections to employers needed to launch a career.
