Tech schools are not stepchildren
to South Dakota's educational system
By Gordon Garnos
AT ISSUE: Some of the greatest
things happening in South Dakota are what our four post-high school
technical institutes are doing by providing the needed technicians
for today's technical world. The work force they are providing to
both South Dakota and the nation is proof of both the need for such
training as well as the success stories they are developing on a
daily basis.
SOUTH DAKOTA'S educational system
was not complete until our Legislature in the early 1960s created
the four post-high schools we now call our technical institutes.
That system may not yet be complete, but it has come a long way
since the one-room rural school house and, maybe, a two or four-year
high school education of yesteryear.
Even as these schools progressed and
started graduating needed technicians, there were some in the state
who actually looked at the vocational-technical program as a
stepchild to South Dakota's educational system. Some may wrongfully
still have that philosophy about a technical education.
The comment has been heard, in effect,
"My kid will graduate from high school and then it's college for
him, or her."
I remember such a case that happened
before our state had any post-high school tech schools. The young
man insisted in following his father's footsteps and following a
trip to Dunwoody Institute thought that was the route he was going
to follow. But his parents had other plans. Like the comment above
he headed to college but only lasted there a semester before he quit
and enlisted in the military.
SOME YEARS AND A LOT of maturing
later, when he fulfilled his military commitment, it was back to a
successful college career. This led to a successful business career.
Commenting on his background, he said, "Back when I wanted to follow
my father's footsteps I had no idea of the outside career world. If
I had, I may not have wasted some of that precious time so long ago.
Our tech schools open the door to the
career world and in the process has helped our state in its economic
development. I must make it perfectly clear that in no way am I
being critical of South Dakotašs universities. In fact I "are" a
product of one.
These tech schools are in no way
stepchildren. They are fulfilling an important need. But one could
ask, "Why should I choose a two-year tech school?"
THERE ARE A NUMBER of reasons.
First of all, a tech student receives hands-on instruction because
there is extremely high faculty involvement with their students'
education programs. If cost is a consideration, the bill for a tech
school education is lower than a college program and there is a
direct link for tech school student and his future career.
In looking at some statistics, South
Dakota's technical institutes serve nearly 5,000 students per year
in 57 diploma and degree programs. They graduate about 2,000
students per year with 92 percent of these students going into their
chosen career field. Not to point a finger at any university about
its graduates "being able to go anywhere from here," but 82 percent
of our tech school graduates choose to make our state their future
and that is South Dakota's future.
For an illustration, the Lake Area
Technical Institute, LATI, in Watertown, has located 13,400 of its
graduates. This does not include the trainees in its business and
industry short courses.
MORE THAN 9,800 are South Dakota
residents with 686 living West of the River and more than 9,000
being East River residents. More than two thousand of these students
now make their homes in Watertown, 1,400 are in adjacent counties
and more that 6,000 are now residing and working along the I-29
corridor.
These are very impressive numbers,
attending a tech school doesn't necessarily mean a person's
education ends with two years. Many of these graduates decide to go
on for higher degrees in one of our universities.
For example, there is a young woman from
a nearby small town who took the electronics course at LATI. From
there she graduated from one of our universities with both a
bachelor's and a master's degree in electrical engineering.
Another example at LATI is its licensed
practical nursing, LPN program. From there is the Upward Mobility
Program with the University of SD where LPN graduates can earn their
registered nursing degree.
Yes. There is a great future for tech
graduates and the future for most of them will help be South
Dakota's future.....
Gordon Garnos was long-time editor of the Watertown Public Opinion and
recently retired after 39 years with that newspaper. Garnos, a
lifelong resident of South Dakota except for his military service in the
U.S. Air Force, was born and raised in Presho.
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