LUXEMBURG (NBC 26) — Out of the classroom and into a career: the Youth Apprenticeship Program at Luxemburg-Casco High School allows students to earn school credit while working a paid job.
- Luxemburg-Casco High School participates in the Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
- Students can earn school credit while working a paid job in their desired career field.
- Students can choose between a variety of job opportunities, from agriculture to healthcare.
Ethan Werner is a senior and double athlete at Luxemburg-Casco High School. Three days a week, he works at the local Nicolet National Bank branch, while at the same time, earning school credit towards graduation.
“By me going to something with finance, I really enjoy that, I feel like my qualities best align with that, so I feel like I’m just my best self when I’m over there," Werner says.
After his older brother found success in the program, Werner became a youth apprentice as a sophomore. When he joined, Werner says he didn't know what he wanted out of a career.
Now, he has a plan.
“When I was a sophomore, I just knew that I liked numbers, but I didn’t know really what else, but now when I graduate, I’m going to know exactly the job I want to be, or at least pretty close to it," he says. "It’s going to be a lot better... Now I’m very focused on what I want to do, I know the classes that I need, what degree I need, so it’s going to help me to not waste a bunch of money trying to figure out what I want.”
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The school's YA program is run through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
“They have to get paid for the experience, and then they have to work a minimum of 450 hours to earn the certificate, as well as take a course that relates to whatever their job is," Jolyn Helgeson, Luxemburg-Casco YA coach, says.
Helgeson says students can choose from a wide variety of opportunities, from trades and agriculture to healthcare and business.
“We have some students who have their Youth Apprenticeship, and they don’t love what they’re doing– they’ve now learned that before spending a lot of money on a college education," she says. “It’s just another way of thinking about education. Allowing them to learn in a different setting and in a different way.”
The program also teaches the students how to be good employees in a professional environment. Their performance is regularly evaluated by the school and employer.
“They leave with a sense of professionalism that I don’t think they would have known or had had it not been in this role," Annette Wuest, Nicolet National Bank Luxemburg branch manager and Werner's boss, says.
Wuest says the program allows the bank to connect with the local school and community.
“It’s one of my favorite things as a manager," she says. "I just feel like it opens doors for them, and even if it isn’t something they’re going to stay in, it still opens doors and gives them a sense of things they may not have tried before."
