For decades, the best option for graduating high school students was deemed to be a four-year college degree. Taking that post-secondary pathway was seen as the most direct route to higher earnings and career success.
But clearly that thinking is changing, largely driven by student and parent desires. Recent college graduates are facing a range of newer challenges, including an increasing unemployment rate, “underemployment” (i.e., working in a job that does not require a college degree), and the introduction of AI and automation in the workplace.
As workforce needs have evolved, so too have the goals of high school students, including those at Luxemburg-Casco High School. More and more, students are choosing more practical, skills-based career pathways over a four-year college degree.
According to the 2025 Post-Graduation Readiness Report from YouScience, an educational technology company, among graduates from the Class of 2024 only 35 percent reported pursuing a four-year college degree – a significant decrease from 55 percent among the Class of 2019. The study further indicated that the percentage of students working directly toward a career goal after high school is increasing.
This fact is borne out in Luxemburg-Casco having the highest Youth Apprenticeship participation rate in Wisconsin with 58 percent of eligible students engaged in the program. A robust level of student interest in YA, along with partnerships with area companies, many in Kewaunee County, allows students to explore careers which they are interested in, according to Jolyn Helgeson of Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship (NEWYA), who is based in LCHS.
The YouScience report specifically emphasizes that “students aren’t asking for more information – they’re demanding a fundamentally different learning experience. They want school to be tangible, connected, and directly aligned with their futures.”
Luxemburg-Casco Director of Learning Services Mike Snowberry shares that statistics show the number of available jobs requiring a four-year degree in Wisconsin is lower than the number of students being sent to college. May 2018 US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that only 19.8% of occupations required a bachelor’s degree. Meanwhile, 51.4% of the state’s high school graduates enrolled in four-year institutions immediately after graduation, according to 2022-23 data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
“Students now are looking at careers first and then the path to be educated,” says Snowberry. “The old way of thinking where some students plan to go to college without a specific goal in mind is becoming obsolete.”
Helgeson actively begins engaging with students in their sophomore year, interviewing them to learn about their post-graduation interests and goals. If they are interested in YA, she will assist them in obtaining a meaningful, relevant work opportunity associated with their field of interest.
“Students find that YA helps them to decide what they want to do, or not do, after high school,” says Helgeson. “A common thing for students is to figure out their career path and work backwards – seeing what training they need for the job they want.”
There are an unlimited number of YA success stories at Luxemburg-Casco High School, many with students who have no plans to attend a four-year college. The stories range across a wide number of industries. The common theme, however, is that the students are able to explore a specific professional career in an area of defined personal interest in conjunction with their academic work, while also earning money for their future.
LCHS senior Cassandra Jansen is one such student. She works as an accounting assistant at Ebert Enterprises, a farm-to-fork provider of locally sourced food who also owns associated companies Salmon’s Meats and Homestead Kitchen & Tap.
Jansen initially was set on a career in elementary education before realizing it was not the field she wanted to go into. Instead, she decided to pursue a career in business, and the experience with Ebert Enterprises has solidified her interest.
She has worked 1.5-3 hours at the company each afternoon of the school week since last January. Her responsibilities include invoicing and bank deposits, among other things.
“The experience has solidified my interest in a career in accounting,” says Jansen, who plans to pursue a two-year business degree in accounting or farm business production management at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). “Seeing other professionals do the job I would like to do, plus the exposure to the business side of operations, has really helped me a lot.”
Another senior, Carly Cochart, is working in a somewhat similar YA position. She is an office assistant at Pagel’s Ponderosa, the largest private, family-owned dairy farm in Wisconsin, and an agritourism destination. Cochart is exposed to all aspects of the operation, saying, “If anyone needs anything, I help out.”
Among her responsibilities are placing orders for company’s shop employees, administering new-hire paperwork, answering the telephone, directing visitors to the farm, and recording scale weights of visiting semi-trucks. She works 4-5 days per week, often from 10:30 a.m. until around 3 p.m.
“YA has had a really big impact on helping me to find out what I want to do,” says Cochart, who grew up on a farm and has been around animals throughout her life. “It has given me a lot of good opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get on my own, and it has confirmed my interest in this field. My biggest takeaway is that this is a really interesting industry to be part of.”
She plans to pursue a two-year degree in business from NWTC.
Three other Luxemburg-Casco High School students truly are hands-on in their YA work experiences.
Lawdon Tanck is a plumbing apprentice for family-owned Tanck Plumbing. His father, Brad, began taking him out to work sites the summer of his eighth-grade year. Before long, he realized that he wanted to pursue a career as a plumber.
Tanck works every other day (two days some weeks, three days in alternating weeks), putting in 8.5-hour days from 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. before returning to school for football and wrestling practices. He averages between 17-25 work hours per week.
As a plumbing apprentice, he does both service work – fixing water heaters, along with installing new ones – and new-construction work. In the homes under construction, Tanck handles everything from ground work under the concrete, plumbing rough-ins in the walls, water-line work when finishing the house and setting the plumbing fixtures.
“YA has given me the opportunity to see all parts of the plumbing trade and everything related to construction,” says Tanck. “For instance, seeing how the electrical guys work.”
He plans to start a plumbing apprenticeship program through NWTC next year, undergoing training every other Tuesday for five years. Tanck would like to become a Journeyman plumber and, eventually, a Master plumber – the highest level in the field.
Lauren Robillard is working as a dental assistant at ABC Family Dental Services through NEWYA. Her goal is to pursue a career in dental hygiene.
She assists the dentist during procedures, along with cleaning the exam room and sanitizing everything. She works 15 hours per week over 3-4 days.
“I’ve always been interested in teeth,” says Robillard. “Ms. Helgeson helped me to find the job with no prior experience. Doing this work has made me realize that I would like to stay in the dental field for my future. I really like being there.”
She plans to attend a state technical college for its dental hygiene program, and presently is preparing for that with healthcare-related coursework offered at the high school through the Bellin College Healthcare Academy.
MJ Olson is pursuing a career in logistics and supply-chain management through a YA position with Dental Health Products as a warehouse technician. She works 2-3 days per week in the afternoon. Her work responsibilities center around order fulfillment, including readying each order for the packing/shipping department.
“I didn’t really know what the position was going to be when I started,” says Olson. “I liked computers and was good with them, and this warehouse job sounded like something I would be interested in. It’s turned out to be pretty enjoyable, and it definitely will help my future.”
She plans to pursue a two-year degree in logistics at NWTC.
The YouScience report emphasizes the positive impacts of work-related training for high school students, saying, “Understanding their own strengths makes a profound difference in how students engage with school – and their future…When students understand their aptitudes and how these can be leveraged in careers, they are more likely to be engaged and ready for life beyond high school.” It added, “When students see how their natural abilities align with real-world careers, their academic work gains relevance, their motivation increases, and their long-term planning becomes more intentional.”
Helgeson sees this up close and enjoys watching the process come together for each of the LCHS students she works with. “It’s fun to see it click – they take more pride in what they’re doing,” she says. “Attendance goes up, grades go up, and they see the importance of their high school education and how it can help them with what they want to do in the future.”
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 often 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,” says 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 says, “who are confident in handling money and not shy about offering customer service. YA allows us to ‘grow our own’ and train them.”
A similar favorable experience has been had by Kono Kogs, an area provider of thermal oxidizer solutions. The company has found its YA participation to be helpful in building a talent pipeline.
“It is a difficult market to find employees,” says Kono Kogs President Chris Worachek, 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 says. “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,” says Shop Manager Ron Deprey. “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 adds. “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 indicates 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,” says Neuzil. “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 says. “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 says. “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.”
Which is the ultimate goal of the Youth Apprenticeship program – mutually beneficial results for both Luxemburg-Casco students and the area companies that employ them.
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