Southeast Tech career services reports growth in employer connections, job placement

Alex Anderson, Southeast Tech's student success adviser and career services coordinator, told the board the college's career services office has expanded employer and student engagement, online job board activity and experiential offerings to help students find work after graduation.

Anderson described Career Connections, the college's online job board, as a central tool for students and employers. He said the system currently hosts more than 3,500 employer accounts, more than 4,400 student/alumni accounts and over 875 active job postings. "There is a wide variety of positions across the region that are posted on here," Anderson said.

The office runs 12 industry‑specific career fairs each academic year; Anderson reported 281 employer registrations so far this cycle and said more than 900 students have attended fairs this year. He described employer feedback collected after fairs as broadly positive, noting employers praised students' preparation and intended to return to future events.

Anderson also outlined new and continuing resources: a career resource library on the college intranet, day‑in‑the‑life job simulations through Forage that produce certificates students can add to resumes, and recent professional headshot/resume review events that drew about 30 students.

On graduate outcomes, Anderson presented the class of 2023 report showing a 98 percent job placement rate across the college and an average starting salary of $45,760 for graduates who reported wages. He said 86.3 percent of respondents remained in South Dakota and gave cardiovascular sonography as the program with the highest average starting salary reported at $65,104.

Board members praised the cross‑campus collaboration on events and the resource work and the board passed a motion to acknowledge the career services update.