RAPID CITY, S.D. — As Dr. Kendra Ericson is completing her first year as president of Western Dakota Technical College, she is focused on expanding workforce training, strengthening community ties and launching programs aligned with regional industry needs.

Ericson, a first-generation college student from rural Illinois, said her path into higher education was not traditional.

“I wasn’t supposed to go to college,” she said. “That was not the expectation growing up on a farm.”

A certified nursing assistant program she took in high school helped shape her career path. She later earned a scholarship to Trinity College of Nursing in Moline, where she continued her nursing education. A colleague later encouraged her to pursue a role in higher education, an option she had not previously considered.

Ericson said those experiences informed her work in both healthcare and education and continue to guide her approach to technical training.

“Either I have been serving in industry, trying to help in the healthcare sector, or I have been on the education side trying to build a workforce,” she said.

A career and technical focused education is designed to prepare students to enter the workforce with the skills employers need. 

“If you are at a technical college, that’s what it’s providing: the education that you need to enter the career and workforce that you’re desiring,” Ericson explained.

Workforce Outcomes and Retention

Western Dakota Technical College reports strong post-graduation outcomes, with all graduates either employed, continuing their education or serving in the military within six months, according to President Kendra Ericson.

“That means that at six months [from] when you graduated, you are either in your career, you are in the military or you’re advancing your degree.”

The college also retains a large share of its graduates in-state. Ericson said 93 percent remain in South Dakota, a figure she attributes to strong industry partnerships and local ties. Workforce scholarships and employer partnerships help connect students directly to jobs, she said.

For a college that primarily serves local students, those connections are critical.

According to Ericson, “[Graduates] are staying because they have a job, their family is rooted here.” 

As South Dakota continues to grow, those outcomes help strengthen local workforces and support long-term community stability. Ericson traces these trends back to Western Dakota Tech’s approach with their students. 

“A statement that I many times will make is: ‘Your goal is our goal,’” she said. 

Accessible, Effective Education

One main focus for Western Dakota Tech is to help students of all backgrounds and education experience obtain their degree. Ericson explained that students who have taken nontraditional routes, including military service or prior work experience, should be able to use that to their advantage. She also emphasized the need for flexible education pathways.

“A student should not be penalized because they took a different path,” she said. “There’s multiple ways to be educated.”

Western Dakota Tech is also evaluating ways to expand access across western South Dakota, including reassessing their satellite locations and program offerings in rural communities. While these satellite locations and programs are already serving their communities, the goal is to continue evolving to meet needs that are ever-evolving.

Ericson reiterated: “We need to be serving all of western South Dakota.”

New Gunsmithing Program

One of the newest initiatives at Western Dakota Technical College is a gunsmithing program announced this month. The program is expected to launch in fall 2027 and would be the only one of its kind in South Dakota and North Dakota.

“It is from start to finish with firearms,” President Kendra Ericson said, describing hands-on training that includes repair, customization and customer interaction.

The program is being developed in partnership with an established Colorado-based school and will include a public-facing repair component to provide students with real-world experience.

The announcement follows recent remarks from Larry Rhoden identifying national security as a key area of industry growth for the state. Ericson explained that the college is positioned to support that effort, saying, “Western Dakota Tech will be one of those educational partners.”

Future of Western Dakota Tech

Looking ahead to year two of her presidency, Ericson plans to focus on executing a long-term strategic plan, expanding healthcare education programs and developing new facilities.

With the continued growth of Western South Dakota including Sanford Health’s expansion into Rapid City, the administration and faculty at Western Dakota Tech certainly has their work cut out for them. Nevertheless, it’s full steam ahead when it comes to supporting the needs of the community and businesses around them.

“We need to make sure that we are meeting what workforce needs are,” she said.

As far as the college’s continued momentum, Ericson credited the community’s support and consistent effort across the region as a key factor.

“It’s the people,” Ericson reflected. “That’s why that 93 percent stay.”