Daniel - Project RETURN

Daniel was enrolled in Project RETURN and was referred into the FSET Program. He got accepted into the forklift training program and while waiting for the start date, he took advantage of the job retention services, transportation allotment and received support for housing referral services to secure a safe, healthy, living environment after incarceration.

After his forklifting training, he landed a job at Gehl's Food & Beverage in Germantown making $15 per hour.

His wages lifted him beyond the threshold to receive Foodshare benefits, and he remains grateful for the opportunity in which the FSET program provided him to be a success!

Yosef - Literacy Services of Wisconsin

Yosef, a recent graduate of Literacy Services of Wisconsin’s HSED program, is overjoyed to have earned his high school equivalency diploma and continue his journey toward his goals.

Yosef came to the United States from Israel when he was 11 years old. Adapting to life in the United States was challenging and hard to navigate. Not long after arriving in the United States, Yosef’s mother found herself a single parent, unemployed without a support system, and raising Yosef and his younger brothers and sisters alone. Yosef was determined to find a job and support his family, but soon realized that having a high school credential was critical to finding employment. Yosef was referred to Literacy Services of Wisconsin and began preparing through the HSED Pathway course.

Today, Yosef attends the Rabbinical College of America, where he will be learning Jewish studies as well as taking online computer courses. He is excited and well prepared to further develop the skills he gained in LSW’s programs and apply them in the years ahead. Yosef is grateful for the staff, instructors, and organizations that supported him along the way. In his own words, “Now that I have completed my HSED, I feel prepared to face the difficulties of the outside world.”

Kendraya - WRTP | BIG STEP

With the support of FSET, Kendraya worked her way through WRTP | BIG STEP’s Entry-Level Construction Skills and Highway Skills Construction Training programs.

The training includes OSHA 30 certification, first aid/CPR training, flagger’s training, commercial driver’s license preparation, hands-on projects, construction mathematics instruction and basic blueprint reading.

Kendraya’s cohort also had a special opportunity to show off their newly learned skills in the shop when representatives from the White House toured WRTP | BIG STEP’s Milwaukee training center while Kendraya was painting a wooden box she’d completed as part of her hands-on training. She says the visit meant a lot and showed her that WRTP | BIG STEP was providing excellent training.

“I’m really glad I was a part of this program because it opened my eyes to the unions and the different types of construction work, I’m indecisive because they showed me so many different options, but I’m leaning toward painting.” 

Kendraya graduated with certified pre-apprenticeship credentials in October, giving her the foundation for going directly into an apprenticeship in highway construction. At 22 years old, Kendraya is set up for a long, successful, and good-paying career in the skilled trades.

WRTP | BIG STEP staff continues to offer her job placement services and career counseling as she seeks apprenticeship opportunities.