Talent Draft day draws high school, college students from 11 Midwest states
They logged in by the hundreds, from Missouri to Michigan, Ohio to Illinois – and left learning more about the career opportunities available in Sioux Falls.
This was the 2020 version of the annual Talent Draft Day, an event organized by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation to connect middle school, high school and college students with education and training paths that lead to rewarding careers.
‘The cyber state’ takes shape with first-of-its-kind research center
Think of the newly opened Madison Cyber Labs at Dakota State University as a big magnet.
“It’s going to attract people to come to work, new faculty who will be able to conduct research with federal agencies they can’t do on other campuses,” DSU president José-Marie Griffiths said. “And we think it will attract partnerships. We know it’s already attracting partnerships.”
The 38,000-square-foot building that opened in recent weeks already is fulfilling much of its promise.
As students move in, collaboration already is starting, those using the building said.
That was the idea when Griffiths proposed the concept to her campus and to the South Dakota Board of Regents just a few short years ago.
“We couldn’t have one lab per faculty member pursuing their individual research agendas. They had to be broader and involve others across campus and potentially involve external partners,” she said.
“The intent is not just research for the sake of research. It’s researching real problems, developing real solutions, but at the same time creating jobs for people who engage in that R&D and spin off companies that take that R&D and put it out into the real world.”
Career Spotlight: Shanna Hennies, Early inspiration leads to varied career path.
Shanna Hennies’ first foray into health care came at age 5, when her grandfather had a stroke. Her mother was a nurse in her hometown of Philip, S.D., so Hennies saw the need for care firsthand.
WIN in Workforce Group is values-based community effort whose mission is to champion career transformation within the workforce. Our goal is to exchange best practices within our cradle to career initiatives for the betterment of all.