Reducing Barriers to Employment & Advancement: WRTP | BIG STEP
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“To be able to start my career – start this journey – it’s exciting.”
Marisol had been a stay-at-home mom for over six years. She never considered that a career in an in-demand industry like construction could be for her, but when the opportunity arose, she took a bold step and pursued Certified Driver’s License (CDL) certification at WRTP | BIG STEP.
WRTP | BIG STEP is a workforce intermediary that specializes in helping connect individuals to family-supporting careers. Their primary focuses include registered apprenticeships and construction, manufacturing, and emerging sectors, and their “She Drives the Future: Women’s CDL Training Program” supports United Way’s Reducing Barriers to Employment & Advancement initiative by connecting women job seekers to careers in commercial driving and construction.
Participants in the program receive hands-on training to earn their CDL credentials. With their new skills, participants like Marisol and Tyrana are able to join just 9% of other women in Wisconsin who work in construction, and 6% of whom have their CDL. It’s Tyrana’s new job driving dump trucks that has been an inspiring next chapter for her.
“It sounds like small potatoes,” Tyrana said. “But to me, handling a double-axel truck and making some decent money – I look forward to the changes that this industry is going to make for my family and me.”
“The investments under United Way’s Reducing Barriers to Employment & Advancement initiative make it possible for hundreds of Greater Milwaukee residents to receive no-cost training and employment services to help them secure family-sustaining and stable careers,” said John Anderson, Interim President and CEO of WRTP | BIG STEP.
When you support United Way’s Reducing Barriers to Employment & Advancement initiative, you open doors for people like Marisol and Tyrana, empowering them to build brighter futures for themselves and their families. Your gift fuels life-changing training and connects our neighbors to stable, family-sustaining careers.
You can support United Way’s Reducing Barriers to Employment & Advancement initiative by making your contribution now and help create a stronger, more equitable community for all.