WRTP | BIG STEP
OUR BEGINNINGS
The recovery of manufacturing, retirement of an aging workforce, and diversification of the regional economy created a growing skills shortage by the end of the 1990s. The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP) was created to respond to these challenges and has since served as a successful model of pre-employment training for job seekers to qualify for family-sustaining jobs in the industrial sector. The Building Industry Group Skilled Trade Employment Program (BIG STEP) was created in the 1970s to increase the number of women, minorities, and younger workers employed in the building trades. WRTP specializes in the development of hands-on, group-size pre-employment training certificate programs, while BIG STEP focuses on individualized tutoring in academic skills for apprenticeship exams.
A NATIONAL LEADER
The success of WRTP | BIG STEP has established us as a national leader in developing sector-based, creative workforce solutions by bringing together both resources and partners in their efforts to help their members. With a dual-customer approach, the model is not just about retaining jobs in a community but also maintaining the competitiveness of the companies that provide those jobs.
WRTP | BIG STEP
THE JOURNEY
WRTP specializes in the development of hands-on, group-size pre-employment training certificate programs, while BIG STEP focuses on individualized tutoring in academic skills for apprenticeship exams. Explore the path that led the two organizations to join forces:
November 2002
2002
WRTP and BIG STEP partner to facilitate the effective coordination of employer-driven worker readiness, ensuring prospective workers gain the skills and experiences required by employers.
March 2003
2003
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation selects WRTP for a national Sector Employment Impact Study.
September 2005
2005
Backed by the support of Governor Jim Doyle, WRTP | BIG STEP establishes the Center of Excellence (COE) for Skilled Trades & Industry.
July 2014
2014
WRTP and BIG STEP formally merge their Boards of Directors as they cement themselves as a single organization.