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Lake Area Tech reports high placement and strong starting wages for class of 2025; previews class of 2026
Summary
Lake Area Tech told the Watertown School District board that 860 graduates from 2025 produced a 96% survey response and a 99.8% placement rate; reported entry wages averaged about $27.41/hour with several programs exceeding $70,000 annual starting pay.
Lake Area Tech President Sanderson told the Watertown School District board that the college’s class of 2025 posted strong labor‑market results, with 860 graduates and a 96% response rate to the six‑month follow‑up. "We had 860 graduates in the class of 2025 and a 96% response rate," Sanderson said, citing validated data matched to state labor databases.
The district presentation said 99.8% of respondents were placed within six months — defined as employment, continued education or military service — and 87% of employed graduates were working in their field. Of the 832 respondents, 717 remained in South Dakota. Sanderson highlighted program‑level variation: entry wages averaged about $27.41 per hour (roughly $57,000 full‑time annualized), ranging from approximately $20.30/hr in human services up to about $39.46/hr in the energy field. He said energy, registered nursing, robotics and fixed‑wing pilot training were among programs with entry wages that exceed $70,000.
Why it matters: the board and district leadership use six‑month placement and wage data to assess how well technical programs align with employer needs and to make decisions about curriculum and resources. Sanderson credited career services staff and state labor market partners with obtaining and validating the figures.
Board members asked for detail on the placement definition and transferability of credits to four‑year institutions; Sanderson clarified that "placement" includes work, continuing education or military service, and transfer success depends on program alignment. The presentation noted that, of the 860 graduates, two remained actively seeking work six months out; six were listed as not employed and not seeking (circumstances such as caregiving or death were excluded from placement calculations).
Sanderson also reviewed the class of 2026 and summer enrollment numbers: 883 students were qualified to walk (the maximum expected number), and summer headcount was 617, down 36 from the prior year but within projections. Total district enrollment for the year closed at 2,780 students.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation itself; members asked follow‑up questions and requested additional detail on career‑pathway credit transfer and pilot licensing/certification processes for aviation programs.
