SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – About 4,000 students have been awarded Build Dakota scholarships in the ten years since the program launched. With thoseten years showing success, technical college leaders are looking to what the next ten years have in store.
Ten years ago, what started as a goal by then-governor Dennis Daugaard, T. Denny Sanford, and First PREMIER Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse is now a reality.
“We have given 46 million dollars, over 46 million dollars of scholarships to young people,” Dykhouse said.
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The Build Dakota scholarship program has placed thousands of technical college graduates in South Dakota companies, helping meet the state’s workforce needs.
The success has helped increase technical college enrollment in the state, training even more labor available.
“This year, we have increased attendance at our four schools. We’re up seven percent. You’ve got to remember, we are up seven percent in attendance in those critical workforce areas,” Dykhouse said.
Cory Clasemann has been president of Southeast Tech only since July, but he says he’s already seen the success of the Build Dakota scholarship.
What lies ahead is the task of continuing that success. The bargain of graduating with a two-year degree debt-free is more attractive than ever for some, helping those scholars get a jump start on their careers.
“The ability to be able to go to college, have everything paid for, graduate debt-free, and have a job waiting for you at the end with a partner in the industry who is just ready to help you and walk beside you the entire way is just absolutely phenomenal,” Clasemann said.
Clasemann says they need to continue to expand the number of scholarships given out and help retain workers in the state. Especially with Southeast Tech’s campus being in Sioux Falls – one of the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest – they need to keep pace.
“We need to figure out how can we continue to grow to meet the needs of the city, because if the city is going to be successful, that at Southeast Tech we also need to be successful as well. We need to be a part of that as we all work together,” Clasemann said.
What’s helping to grow the scholarship program for the future is the number of companies sponsoring students along the way. They provide matches towards those scholarships, adding more funding into the equation.
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