Western Dakota Technical College honors Build Dakota Scholarship recipients

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Western Dakota Technical College had a signing day Thursday to recognize future students who received Build Dakota Scholarships, a state effort to fill high-demand jobs.

The Build Dakota Scholarship is given to incoming students attending South Dakota’s technical colleges, and WDT honored 123 future students with the full-ride scholarship.

The scholarship covers full tuition costs as well as any required supplies such as tools for mechanics, scrubs for medical personnel, and laptops.

The state is expected to shell out 2.7 million dollars via the scholarship program.

“One of the huge advantages for this scholarship in South Dakota is one, we’re keeping our talent here in South Dakota for high-need fields. So every single career in Build Dakota is designated as good paying and high need in the state. And not only does it keep the individuals here as they learn, but this year we have an individual from Montana, from Kansas few from Wyoming, so we’re drawing in talent as well,” said Andrew Kapelewski, assistant director of scholarships for WDTC.

By accepting the scholarship, the students have agreed to stay and work within the state for the next three years.

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