Stretch the Million/Build Dakota
Industry Partner

The Build Dakota Scholarship Fund was established in 2015 by generous business leaders and forward-thinking lawmakers to address South Dakota’s workforce challenges. Lake Area Technical College is proud to facilitate the Build Dakota Scholarship program that supports students entering high-need workforce fields in South Dakota. The program goal is to help close the workforce gap in these high-demand careers by graduating highly skilled workers. In an effort to ‘stretch’ the available dollars in the Build Dakota Scholarship program, we invite our industry partners to consider this unique opportunity to participate as a “Stretch the Million” partner.

How it Works

After choosing a student scholar, the “STM” partner commits to paying half of the expenses of their Build Dakota Scholarship. The scholarship supports tuition, fees, books, and other required program expenses in the eligible college program.
By accepting the full-ride scholarship with an STM partner, the student commits to working three years (minimum) for the partner, full-time in their field, in South Dakota.

Student Impact

Free education
Guaranteed employment
Potential on-the-job training

Business Impact

Alternative upskill for current employees
Access to a pipeline of new talent from Lake Area Tech
Guaranteed highly skilled employee
Free advertising on the Build Dakota & Lake Area Tech websites

South Dakota Impact

Aids in filling South Dakota’s workforce shortage
Scholars live and work in South Dakota
Local businesses thrive with highly skilled employees

Become a Stretch the Million Partner

Please contact us for more information about how to become an STM partner!

Melissa Waldner, Business Partner Specialist
605-882-5284 Ext. 263
Morgan Johnson, Foundation Development Officer
605-882-5284 Ext. 308
Tracy Hlavacek, Foundation Director
605-882-5284 Ext. 268

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