The South Dakota Board of Education is looking at the placement report for 2013 vo-tech graduates. A quick glance at the charts suggests that Southeast Tech grads are having a harder time finding work in their field and in South Dakota than grads from Lake Area, Mitchell Tech, and Western Dakota:
Southeast Tech appears to have a smaller percentage of its graduates working or pursuing further education in their fields and staying in South Dakota than any of its counterpart institutions.
But hold the phone: check out the response rates for the survey:
The placement rates appear to be percentages of graduate totals, not of graduates actually responding to the survey. Either Southeast Tech doesn't work as hard to get every graduate to respond to the placement survey, or Southeast Tech grads are too busy working and living the high life in the Minne-Lincoln metroplex to fuss with checking boxes.
Calculate the percentages based on survey respondents alone, and Southeast leads the vo-techs in graduates getting jobs, getting jobs in their field, and getting jobs in their field in South Dakota. Southeast remains last only in graduates employed in South Dakota. Overall, 82% of 2013 vo-tech graduates went to work, 73% went to work in their field, 70% went to work in South Dakota, and 62% got jobs in their field in South Dakota.
By the way, students, as you contemplate your technical careers, here's the return on investment the graduates ahead of you report getting in their first jobs out:
The average hourly wage reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for all occupations in South Dakota in May 2012 was $17.32. For first-year wages, the vo-tech class of 2013 seems to be doing pretty good on the whole, except for those poor souls working in hospitality and human services. Leave a tip after dinner....
To me, they are all still startlingly low wages (aside from the manufacturing listing) that haven't kept up with inflation and the cost of living. Are these SD starting wages for the reported industries above?
What's interesting is that manufacturing leads the group at $18.51. Can someone please tell me WHERE in SD would a manufacturing job start at that? In MN that would be considered a very good manufacturing starting wage, but does SD actually have starting wages in manufacturing at that wage?
With no inside information I would suspect welder and machinist jobs in businesses that manufacture truck trailers, farm machinery and wind tower components might start at those levels.
I see, Nick. I was thinking of manufacturing jobs in MN with NO education starting at 18.51 would be considered a good job. In SD, it's probably unheard of. I know at Hormel's in Austin (which is Union) , starting wage is between $14-15/hour. Welders/machinist jobs that you go to a trade school for, I'm thinking, would be in the 20 something dollar/hr range in MN.
Congrats to all the VoTech alums who learned their skills by way of hard work and commitment. I've hired enough of you to know that you're the best! No mystery on Southeast Tech to me, Cory. Take a look at wages in their closest neighboring states. From your link I note that SD's average (mean) wage is 17.32 and median wage is 13.99. Using the same BLS site, compare that to MN's 22.42/17.74 and IA's 19.02/15.33. Throw in NE's 19.00/15.01, and just for good measure look at WY's 20.76/17.67, MT's 18.29/14.49 and ND's 19.64/16.40. Same old story, hey?
I know also, at a dairy plant called AMPI in Rochester, MN (which is Union), starting wage is 14/hr but after a year it goes up to 20/hr. The downside though, it's a rotating shift. One week you're second shift, the next week it's third shift. Still, a job with a wage of 20hr after a year with no education would be unheard of in SD. Cost of living in Rochester is not any higher than Sioux Falls also. South Dakotan have this wishful claim that the cost of living is outrageously higher out of state.
John and Jenny are telling the same story and we've all heard it before. Trained welders and machinists with a vo-tech degree will earn much more in other states than SD. If employers like Trail King of Mitchell are having a hard time attracting skilled labor they would do well to raise their wages. It's called supply and demand and as business people they should already know this. It's too bad no one in a position of authority in South Dakota state government has the brains or guts to tell them this.
Hey Nick, your right on again. you might also add that our politicions in pierre are also lacking the guts to speak up on anything that is controversial!!!!!!!!