CHARLEVOIX COUNTY — As the end of the school year gets closer local students are beginning to think about how they will earn money — either for spending or for saving.

Students in Boyne City and Charlevoix have the opportunity to earn money that goes directly in their pocket in addition to money towards their education beyond high school.

According to Aaron Hagen, director of restaurant operations and co-owner of the Boyne City Taproom and Bridge Street Taproom, the Youth Employment Program started in 2017 as a way to help local students build their resume and skill set, while also staffing the restaurants to meet the summer rush.

“They're learning about the industry and it's building their resume for when they go to school or they don't go to school,” Hagen said. “On our end, it ensures we have returning individuals that know our operation. Then what gives them the advantage is when they turn of legal serving age, they're able to jump onto the floor, whether they're here for the summers or whether they're here year round, with really a full understanding of how our restaurant operates.”

The program has seen some changes throughout the years as they received feedback from students and parents. This year, Hagen said they raised the scholarship amount so that a student who works three summers in a row can earn about $2,000 towards school. They also reduced the number of hours needed to earn the bonus in order to accommodate the students' schedules.

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Students are hired at $10 per hour or higher, depending on their experience. Each position also receives a portion of the tips at the end of the night. Students who work at least 400 hours between May 1 and Sept. 30 receive a $400 bonus. The bonus increases by $200 when the student returns for a second season and another $200 when they return for a third.

Additionally, for every hour a student works, $1 will be placed into a college savings account, which Hagen said he will set up and pay into for the student or the student can choose to have the money paid directly to them. This amount also increases when students return for another summer.

“With that in mind, throughout the entire summer I just kept wanting more and more hours. It really increases your drive to work because you know you're going to get a good bonus at the end of summer to go towards your college,” Charlevoix High School senior Gavin Potter said.

Potter was hired as a line cook at Bridge Street Tap Room in April 2022 and after a bit of a rocky start to the world of employment, was encouraged by Hagen to take part in the program.

Potter works year round and is about to go into his second season in the Youth Employment Program. He chose to receive his bonus pay directly and set up his own college savings account where he has accrued about $7,000 to go towards his tuition at Michigan Technological University, where he plans to study computer science.

“It's really a great opportunity for these kids to really make a good wage and learn an industry that they can take with them to get a job,” Hagen said.

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For Potter, even though he doesn’t plan to stay in the restaurant industry, he feels like the skills he has learned working at Bridge Street Tap Room will help him in the future. Skills like working with other people will help him in his tech career and the culinary abilities will help him in his everyday life.

“Communication is a big one. There's communication, teamwork, and in the industry itself, I've learned a lot of knife skills and just overall more culinary techniques,” Potter said.

In addition to experience working in a team, Hagen said students learn about sanitation, safety and most importantly — social skills.

“They learn how to deal with people, how to interact. A lot of social skills are gained through this industry,” Hagen said. “I think that whether they go into the restaurant industry for part time work while they're at school or not, I think they have an appreciation for it. They understand how hard people work.”

— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Boyne City, Bridge Street Tap Rooms offer students jobs, scholarship money