Timeline

WRTP is awarded a demonstration grant from the United States Department of Labor to replicate the program in other sectors of the nation.

WRTP receives funds from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to develop a model program in manufacturing training.

The Commission on a Quality Workforce recommends the development of partnerships between business, labor, and government to renew the industrial base in the Milwaukee area, and WRTP is born.

BIG STEP’s growth expands, thanks to regular contributions from Joint Apprenticeship Committees, Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Carpenters Union, Bricklayers Union, Sheet Metal Union, and Electricians Union.

Project LEAP evolves into BIG STEP, the Building Industry Group Skilled Trades Employment Program. The BIG STEP organization becomes known as a place where people, particularly minorities, go to receive the necessary training for well-paid, prosperous careers.

Vince Toran, Wisconsin’s first Black building trades apprentice, is asked to work for the Labor Education Advancement Program (LEAP), a national pilot program designed to recruit, train, and place more minority and women candidates in skilled jobs.