WATERTOWN, S.D. – In South Dakota, where the state's proportion of clean energy production is the highest in the country, students are taking advantage of growing energy workforce needs.
Lake Area Technical College, which has two degree-providing programs in the energy sector, has seen students with renewed interest in the industry thanks to both its growth and opportunity in the state.
Brooks Jacobsen, energy department supervisor at Lake Area Tech, told News Watch that the Watertown school's energy operations and energy technology programs have 100% job placement rates. According to Lake Area Tech's website, the energy technology program has an average salary of $71,000 after six months of employment.
Jacobsen said that the exposure students get to various energy sectors, including hydroelectricity, coal, wind and solar energy, allows them to be more flexible when searching for the right career.
"They'll go do an interview or a job shadow on (a specific energy sector) and they'll just love it, and they never thought they would. We try to keep an open mind, try to pre-teach these students that there are these capabilities all over the state," Jacobsen said.
News Watch spoke to three students about their decision to enter the energy sector and the opportunities that the state provides for their futures. Here are their stories.
Lakshan Sethuhewa: 'Energy is everywhere'
Lakshan Sethuhewa, a second-year energy operations student at Lake Area Technical College, speaks to News Watch about the program.
Lakshan Sethuhewa, a 29-year-old student from Sri Lanka, came to Lake Area Tech after a tour that showed him the "sophisticated program." Now in his second year, Sethuhewa said he already has a job as a refrigeration expert lined up at the soon-to-open CJ Schwan's Foods production facility in Sioux Falls.
He said that all of his classmates have job prospects and that choosing energy was in part due to the vast employment opportunities the field offers.
Sethuhewa is a student in the energy operations program, which trains students to manage energy facilities and operate plants. He described the program as "hands-on and minds-on" and appreciated how his education could translate globally.
"You can practice energy everywhere in the world. Whether you want to go to Europe, South Asia, energy is everywhere," Sethuhewa said.
Quincy Thu: 'The only thing that I could envision myself doing in the future'
Quincy Thu, an energy technology student in his second year at Lake Area Tech, speaks to News Watch about how his father's job teaching at the college got him thinking about energy.
For Quincy Thu, energy runs in the family: His father began teaching energy technology at Lake Area Tech in 2022, which got Thu thinking about the opportunities of the sector.
Thu said that the proximity of the school to his home in Castlewood, as well as affordability, was his deciding factor. As he comes into his final year in the program, he said that he's particularly interested in the wind energy sector, which has strong roots in the eastern side of the state.
Michael Klinski
"I'm trying to talk to people, interview people, find out where I want to go, find the best company that fits me," Thu said.
But he plans on staying in the state for any future career ventures.
"I'm from South Dakota, I love it here," Thu said.
Tate Sheehan: 'The industry is growing at immense rates'
Tate Sheehan, a second-year energy technology student at Lake Area Tech, speaks to News Watch about the industry's rapid growth and job opportunities.
Tate Sheehan, a second-year student who is originally from Bird Island, Minnesota, said that his decision to enter the energy sector comes from the idea that the industry's growth is not slowing down any time soon.
He said that a combination of in-class work and hands-on projects has allowed him to feel exceptionally prepared for his entry into the energy world.
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Though he's a few hundred miles from home, Sheehan said he plans to stay in South Dakota and find a company he can "settle down" with while continuing to climb the career ladder – a goal he credits to seeing firsthand how quickly the industry is growing.
"There's a lot of great opportunities through the energy technology program and the energy operations program to prepare us for the real world and get us ready to go out there and make a difference working for them," Sheehan said.
Read more about the energy industry in South Dakota at the links below:
Bart Pfankuch
Bart Pfankuch
Bart Pfankuch
This reporting is part of a collaboration between the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News Network and Canary Media, South Dakota News Watch, Cardinal News, The Mendocino Voice and The Maine Monitor. Support from Ascendium Education Group made the project possible.
This story was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email for statewide stories. Investigative reporter Molly Wetsch is a Report for America corps member covering rural and Indigenous issues. Contact her at molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.org.
