Graduating from high school is an exciting milestone for students, often marking the start of a new journey into college, a career, or a vocational path. However, some students encounter challenges in making these transitions smoothly and benefit from extra support. The STEPUP Program, offered by Lafayette Industries to several Northwest R-I School District seniors and others in the St. Louis metropolitan area, is designed to bridge this gap.
“STEPUP is a competitive employment training program aimed at helping participants secure and maintain full-time employment with minimal to no support after graduation,” explained Cat Woerner, the program’s manager. The program spans one to two years, depending on each participant’s social cognition skills, employment background, and individual barriers.
Operating for five years in St. Louis County and two years in Jefferson County, this is the first year Northwest students are participating in the STEPUP Program.
“Lafayette Industries has offered pre-employment programs for years, and feedback from Vocational Rehabilitation highlighted the need for soft skills training,” said Woerner. “Seeing no structured soft skills programs in the area, Lafayette Industries proposed piloting STEPUP in 2019, with funding approved in early 2020. Despite pandemic challenges, our team launched the first cohort in October 2020.”
At Northwest, the program supports special education seniors by focusing on critical thinking, problem-solving, time management, and teamwork—skills essential for life after graduation. The program became available following discussions between Lafayette Industries and Northwest’s Executive Director of Student Services, Mary Smith, about the district’s need for pre-employment services.
“Our partnership with STEPUP empowers students with disabilities by balancing education and real-world experience,” Smith said.
The program's daily activities occur at Wicked Chicken restaurant in High Ridge, Missouri, where students gather in a dedicated space rented by Lafayette Industries. The classroom, decorated with affirmations, goals, and expectations set by students, offers a structured learning environment. A separate lounge provides a space for breaks. Wicked Chicken also hires students as interns, giving them hands-on opportunities to apply their newly acquired soft skills.
“The Northwest students arrive before 8 a.m. for a fully interactive class, with lessons including PowerPoints, videos, role-playing, computer work, and AI simulations until 10:30 a.m.,” shared Worerner. “After lunch, they intern in various restaurant roles, practicing food service tasks that develop transferable skills and reinforce the STEPUP program strategies.”
While Wicked Chicken provides an essential training ground, the program isn’t a culinary training course, and students don’t continue working there after graduation.
A significant component of the program is Mursion, an AI-powered simulator added to the STEPUP curriculum in partnership with Webster University in 2023. “Think of Mursion as an interactive chat session,” Woerner described. “Students face real-life scenarios involving customers, coworkers, or supervisors. Each scenario presents challenges that students navigate using STEPUP program strategies.”
Throughout the program, students undergo assessments that combine hands-on tasks and one-on-one simulations, measuring skill progression and strategy application.
STEPUP participant Kaiden Sansom, a Northwest senior and prospective college student, shared his enthusiasm: “Mursion is really cool. Sometimes you have to pause and think about how to handle each scenario, like when interacting with a customer or coworker.”
Discussing the internship experience, Kaiden added, “I like tasks like filling ice and talking to customers. It feels more practical because it's outside of school.”
In the classroom, Kaiden appreciates the strategy discussions. “We review handouts, talk about strategies, and watch clips that teach us about body language and nonverbal cues,” he said.
“A successful STEPUP participant has both the desire and capability to work in the community or pursue further education,” said Woerner. “These students achieve autonomy, independence, and self-regulation, supporting their long-term goals.”
You can learn more about STEPUP by visiting their website, including downloading and filling out an application at https://www.lafayetteindustries.com/programs/step-up/.