Latest news with #SoutheastTechnicalCollege
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Inmate training program shelved while prison construction talks continue
Participants in a welding program for minimum security inmates are pictured at Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls on Oct. 7, 2024. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) The South Dakota Department of Corrections will not offer a promised diesel mechanic training program in a space once occupied by a privately run metal shop that paid inmates market wages. Last August, the DOC and Southeast Technical College got approval from the state Board of Technical Education to expand the college's diesel program into the maximum security Jameson Annex in Sioux Falls. Training inmates to fix diesel engines would 'create opportunities within our community to meet the workforce needs of trades careers,' according to the school and the department's application to the board. The application anticipated an August 2025 opening. Private employers say they were pushed out of state prisons Corrections spokesman Michael Winder told South Dakota Searchlight last week, however, that the school was unable to secure funding to purchase the equipment needed to operate the program inside the Sioux Falls prison. Jennifer Lambley of Southeast Tech said ongoing debate about the potential construction of a new prison was partially to blame for the decision to freeze talks on the diesel program. The school had been in discussions with the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice on potential funding. 'We believe it's important to pause and more deeply consider how this initiative fits into South Dakota's broader plans for addressing long-term prison infrastructure and programming needs,' Lambley said. Winder and Lambley both said that the school and DOC still aim to expand programming for inmates eventually. 'We remain fully committed to providing high-quality, workforce-relevant education to individuals in custody,' Lambley said. The diesel engine program was set to fill the now-empty space occupied for more than 20 years by Metal Craft Industries, a company that says it was pushed out of the prison system by administrators. Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko said the company left voluntarily to avoid adhering to newer, stricter security protocols. The owner of another private business that had employed female inmates in Pierre, Badlands Quilting, also accused the state of pushing it out the door last year. The shuttered metal shop's status came up briefly during a meeting of the Project Prison Reset group last week in Pierre. Consultants with the firm Arrington Watkins said the shop was empty when they toured the Jameson Annex of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls a few months ago. The work group is focused on building options that might relieve inmate overcrowding, but its members have also focused on repeat offense rates, reentry programming, job training and post-incarceration placement. Many task force members and members of the public who've appeared at the meetings have argued that the state needs to do more to improve the chances for inmates who return to their communities after serving a sentence if it ever hopes to address long-term growth in prison populations. Last week, the group voted to cap spending on a new prison at $600 million. That's less than the consultants suggested would be necessary to build one big enough to meet current needs and address future growth projections. Sen. Jamie Smith, D-Sioux Falls, lamented that the cap could hamstring efforts to design a facility capable of training current inmates to become rehabilitated, contributing members of their communities. Smith didn't mention Metal Craft Industries last week, but the controversy surrounding its departure sparked a host of questions from lawmakers last year on the role of work programs within the DOC. Inmates at Mike Durfee State Prison work for the Governors Home program, which builds houses, duplexes and day cares for people under certain incomes and communities that meet certain guidelines. The state also operates a handful of shops under the banner of Pheasantland Industries, including an upholstery shop that outfits prison cells and a sign shop that prints license plates and road signs. Metal Craft and Badlands Quilting paid inmates market wages. Some inmates paid off their restitution and child support with their Metal Craft paychecks, and employees of both private businesses paid room and board to the state. Most prison jobs, by contrast, pay about 50 cents an hour. During previous Project Prison Reset meetings, inmates and their family members said extended lockdowns across the system have served as an impediment to job training programs, kept shops from running full-time and otherwise hindered inmates' opportunities to better themselves. 'There's classrooms in here that sit empty half the time,' inmate Samuel Lint told the group through a cell phone in early April. Prison task force rejects original Lincoln County site, tightens budget for new facility Programs that train inmates outside prison walls have had success, though. Twelve minimum custody inmates graduated with welding certificates from Southeast Tech last fall, adding to the 57 who'd completed the training since 2022. The welding certificate program is funded with help from the state Department of Labor. Past cohorts have had an average graduation rate of more than 80% and a similar job placement rate, an announcement on the fall graduation said. The money from the Labor Department covered the cost of books and equipment for inmate students. Dawn Dovre, spokesperson for the department, told South Dakota Searchlight in an email that part of the funding is from the U.S. Department of Labor. 'As always, if there are changes to these programs or budgets nationally, adjustments to service delivery will be made,' Dovre said. The Department of Corrections also offers Career and Technical Education courses in precision machining for male offenders at Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield through Lake Area Technical College. That program didn't field a cohort in the spring, according to Tiffany Sanderson, Lake Area's president, but not for a lack of funding. The former instructor left last fall, and Sanderson said it's been hard to fill that position. Offenders at the Rapid City Minimum Center can enroll in a plumbing course at Western Dakota Technical College. That school's spokesperson told South Dakota Searchlight that five inmates graduated from the course this spring. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Metal flags presented to first responders
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — They are often referred to as unsung heroes. We're talking about first responders. Some students at Southeast Technical College are using their own specialized training to let them know how much they are all appreciated by cutting and painting metal American flags. Those flags were presented to several agencies Tuesday morning. 'We won't stop searching:' Missing Rosebud woman's family speaks out The welding instructor at Southeast Technical College says his students were excited for the project. 'My students when I said hey here's kind of what we want to do, they jumped in and said we would like to be on that project. It was kind of like move aside old man, we got this. I was like hey, appreciate the enthusiasm,' said Dennis Howard, Welding Instructor at Southeast Technical College. It took them around a month to complete 16 flags. Some of the agencies that got flags Tuesday include Sioux Falls Police, Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office and Sioux Falls Fire Rescue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Metal flags will be presented to first responders
SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — A first responder is a person who has specialized training and is among the first to arrive when there's an emergency. They are often referred to as unsung heroes, but some students at Southeast Technical College are using their own specialized training to let them know how much they are all appreciated. 'We've been working on this for a little over a month, Welding students at Southeast Tech have sparked a special bond with first responders. They've teamed up with the auto collision repair class to fabricate American flags from sheet metal. Mayor TenHaken to give final State of the City 'Every year we try to give something back, last year we cut a couple of flags for the sheriff's office and that's kind of how this got built up,' welding instructor Dennis Howard said. It takes cooperation and teamwork. 'Kind of a tricky thing getting all the people together like painting and grinding them out making sure they are smooth it's kind of a challenge,' welding student Tom Pingle said. When they are all done cutting this is what the flag looks like when it leaves the welding class. They really come to life when they get to the auto collision repair class. 'We were able to go down and talk with the paint instructor, we got this little project we are trying to give back to the community would you guys like to be involved,' Howard said. They didn't hesitate to get involved. 'There's a big difference seeing our product of how it was cut out and then when it came back everybody in there was like oh this just upped the level of it 100 fold basically we were all excited I mean I'm getting goosebumps right now just talking about it,' Pingel said. This is why he gets goosebumps. These painted war torn American flags made of metal will be presented to first responders tomorrow. Police, fire fighters, emts and more will each get one of these flags. 'I honestly think when they first see them, they are going to be really impressed with them,' Howard said. It took a lot of work from both classes. Howard can't say enough about the cutting and the paint job. 'I think they knocked it out of the park,' Howard said. They made a total of 16 metal flags. They'll present them to the first responders Tuesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Southeast Tech student shares journey to nursing career
BERESFORD, S.D. (KELO) – South Dakota is in need of health care workers, especially in rural areas. One way the state and other organizations are trying to help increase the workforce is through the Build Dakota Scholarship. Landen Kroger didn't exactly know where he wanted to go to college after graduating from Beresford High School in May 2024. Benefit to assist SD Air Guard member's cancer journey 'I spent 95% of my day in the guidance counselors office and she was like, 'did you know about the Build Dakota Scholarship?' And I was like, 'no,' she's like, 'you can apply for it,'' Landen said. Landen was awarded Build Dakota Scholarship and started school at Southeast Technical College in the fall of 2024. 'For me, it was a sigh of relief because I knew, being a single mom, that I wasn't in the position to necessarily be able to bail them out if something happened,' Casey said. Each year hundreds of people are awarded the opportunity to get an education at a state technical school for free, in exchange for working in that field in South Dakota for at least three years after graduation. Initially, Landen wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. However, after losing his grandmother and aunt to cancer in 2019, his interest shifted towards nursing. 'I helped take care of my grandma when she had cancer. So I would go over there every day at like after school and help do things around the house,' Landen said. 'It was a hard year. They passed away three months exactly from each other,' Casey Kroger said. His mom says Landen has always had the natural ability to help others. 'So he's always been that kid that wanted to make sure everybody was okay. Like someone was getting picked on at school, like he wanted to check on him,' Casey said. Currently Landen is finishing his first year at Southeast Technical College, as well as working at Avera Health on the oncology floor, the same hospital his grandma would go to for treatments. Landen believes he's able to bond with the patients because of his personal experience with cancer. 'It's a sense of comfortability kind of. I've seen it so I'm comfortable around the situation and it's like, it's kind of my comfort zone now,' Landen said. DTSF offering free rides to Summit League Tournament Dustin Pepper is one of the instructors at the nursing program Landen will attend at Southeast Tech. 'In cases like Landon had where it's a family issue and that made a big impact, there's oftentimes a reason why, it's a difficult profession. So having that reason why is a big step for for being successful in completing the program and being a great nurse,' Pepper said. And his mom agrees Landen's 'why' will make him a good nurse. 'He genuinely cares. He wants to make sure that you're good. He understands, the quality over quantity aspect of life.' Casey said. 'They're in the hospital, it is serious. But there's also times where like, you need a light enough to mood a little bit,' Landen said. After graduating from the LPN Program Landen plans to eventually become a licensed registered nurse. The deadline for this year's Build Dakota Scholarships is March 31. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
