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Sponsor a Scholar

Matching Students with Employers to Create a Better Tomorrow

As an employer, you can build a qualified workforce for your company and your industry through Build Dakota. By doing so, you are also creating opportunities for students to launch technical careers in high-need fields throughout South Dakota.

How Does it Work?

Build Dakota Sponsor-A-Scholar

  • Employers who choose to sponsor a Build Dakota Scholar agree to a total investment based on a student's major. That amount is matched by Southeast Technical College and Build Dakota to create a full-ride scholarship that covers 100% of a student’s program, including tuition, fees, books and supplies.
  • In accepting the scholarship, the student commits to work for your company for at least three years following graduation from Southeast Tech.

Matching Process

  1. Students

    Interested students submit their Build Dakota Scholarship applications and résumés to Southeast Tech.

  2. Southeast Tech Career Services

    Southeast Tech verifies students’ eligibility and completed application materials and uploads them to a secure file-sharing site for employers to access. The materials are
    organized by eligible Build Dakota programs, and employers have read-only access to those specific to their sponsorship(s).

  3. Employer's HR Contact

    Southeast Tech will share the link to access students’ application materials with companies’ assigned Human Resource contacts.

  4. HR Contact's Responsibility

    HR contacts are to review application materials, schedule
    interviews and extend offers to their company’s selected Build Dakota student(s).

Timeline to Select Applicants

Jan. 1-March 31, 2024
  • The Build Dakota Scholarship application opens.
  • Southeast Tech uploads application materials.
  • Employers review materials and schedule interviews with students.
Through April 12, 2024

Employers may extend sponsorship offers to students until April 12, 2024. 

April 15, 2024

Students have until April 15, 2024 to accept a Build Dakota scholarship offer.

June 7, 2024

All new Build Dakota Scholars will be invited to Southeast Tech’s Build Dakota Signing and Registration Day. At this event, students – along with their company sponsors, Southeast Tech faculty and staff and special guests – will sign their Build Dakota letter of intent. Also at this event, students will officially register for classes at Southeast Tech.

How Do I Participate?

To learn more about how to sponsor a Build Dakota scholar, contact Career Services at Southeast Tech.

CALL 605-367-5768   Email Build Dakota

Randy Knecht headshot

Journey Group is proud and honored to support students, Southeast Tech and our community through Build Dakota. The construction apprenticeship program opens doors to lifelong careers, which are integral to our company and many others. When we work together to support these great education programs, we build our businesses and, most importantly, build our communities.”

– Randy Knecht, President & CEO, Journey Group