Area companies benefit from employment of Luxemburg-Casco students through Youth Apprenticeship

LUXEMBURG-CASCO – Youth Apprenticeship (YA) has proved beneficial to Luxemburg-Casco High School students because it provides career exploration through meaningful, relevant work opportunities.

It is equally valuable to area employers, particularly those within Kewaunee County. Youth Apprenticeship participation can help companies to build a strong talent pipeline, reduce hiring costs and boost employee retention.
YA creates a pathway to screened candidates who can be trained with company-specific skills. Employers are able to test drive potential hires — many of whom stay with the company on a long-term basis.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Labor Employment and Training Administration, a company’s median return on investment is $144 for every $100 invested in Youth Apprenticeship.

Local employers across a range of industries have had positive outcomes with youth apprentices from Luxemburg-Casco High School.

“YA has worked well for us,” said Sue Neuzil, SVP of human resources for Bank of Luxemburg. “It allows us to fill some of our holes with part-time employees, and several have continued to work with us after high school.”

The Bank of Luxemburg began participating in the YA program in October 2020, utilizing students as tellers at its area locations. It trains them to do basic transactions.

The bank looks for students who present themselves in a positive way, according to Neuzil, because they’re going to be customer-facing.

“I have found them to be smart kids,” she said, “who are confident in handling money and not shy about offering customer service. YA allows us to ‘grow our own’ and train them.”

Kono Kogs, an area provider of thermal oxidizer solutions, shared a similar experience. The company has found its YA participation to be helpful in building a talent pipeline.

“It is a difficult market to find employees,” Kono Kogs President Chris Worachek said, an L-C school board member at the time of its local start. “This program has given us the opportunity to get good employees when it’s difficult to get them otherwise. It allows us to train them, and it helps the students to find out what they want to do.”

YA participants at Kono Kogs have worked in a variety of areas: the assembly department, the fabrication area, marketing (eBay sales) and engineering. According to Worachek, the company has had four YA students work in engineering in advance of post-secondary education in that field.

“They do some drafting and help out in the shop,” he said. “It helps them out tremendously. They see how an engineering department works before they go to school for it.”

A direct positive impact through YA has occurred for KARE Auto, a local family-owned automotive repair shop. The company currently has two full-time and three part-time employees, in addition to youth apprentices.

The company’s first foray into youth apprenticeship came two years ago, when LCHS student Jack Peterson started. Six months later, classmate Tyler Dax joined him.

“They have a very important role here,” Shop Manager Ron Deprey said. “I oversee their work, but I allow them to do everything. They do engine work — both have pulled out engines and put them back in. They also do computer diagnostic work, check out noises and do road tests. They both have a good work ethic. I’m very confident in them and am very lucky to have them.”

Peterson and Dax currently are in their second and final year of the automotive technology program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). Deprey would like to hire them as full-time employees upon graduation next spring, and they have indicated that they plan to stay with KARE. He also hopes to have another YA student next year.

“It’s been a lifesaver,” Deprey said. “It’s very hard to find technicians nowadays — they’re few and far between. It’s best to start out with someone young and mold them. Without them, we can’t grow our business.”

Several YA participants also have stayed with Bank of Luxemburg. Neuzil indicated the four YA students still work for the bank on either a full- or part-time basis.

Emma Bouche was hired as a part-time teller through YA in February 2024.

She continued working for the bank following graduation. Though Bouche didn’t enjoy face-to-face customer interactions, according to Neuzil, she was mentored by company personnel and recently was promoted into loan processing as a full-time employee, working behind the scenes.

“She is succeeding at it, and I am so proud of her,” Neuzil said. “It is a success story of someone who doesn’t necessarily plan to go onto college.”

Neuzil also sees the positive impact that working in a professional setting through YA can make on students. She cites the example of Sophia Herman, who started to work out of the bank’s Algoma branch beginning with her junior year of high school and continues while attending NWTC.

“She was so shy,” Neuzil said. “This position has really taken her out of her shell. She has become so confident in herself and so knowledgeable. She is awesome. She started as a quiet, shy person and now — wow.”

Worachek believes that YA has been a mutually beneficial relationship for Kono Kogs and the students it employs.

“There is a good screening process — the students are responsible,” he said. “I have to say that everyone sent to us through YA has been super. They are willing to take on responsibility and are easily trainable.

“For the students, they’re learning from some of the best people in the industry. I have a lot of experience and quite a few contacts in the industry. My managers, who train them, are very knowledgeable. It works out pretty well.”

This is the ultimate goal of the Youth Apprenticeship program — mutually beneficial results for both Luxemburg-Casco students and the area companies that employ them.