DSU has most active apprentices in South Dakota

September 19, 2025

Dakota State University has the most active apprentices in South Dakota. There are currently 216 students enrolled in three apprenticeship programs.

Building on momentum from the Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway (TAP) program, DSU has added additional apprenticeship programs for high school students.

The first apprenticeship program at Dakota State was the TAP program. Launched in Fall 2023, TAP is a statewide initiative designed to address the teacher shortage in South Dakota. TAP helps paraprofessionals become licensed educators while continuing their work in classrooms. TAP is a collaboration between the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation, the South Dakota Department of Education, the South Dakota Board of Regents, the Regional Educational Library, Dakota State University, Northern State University, Local School Districts, and then-Governor Kristi Noem.

"It's been such a joy to be part of the South Dakota Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway," said Dr. David De Jong, dean of the College of Education & Human Performance. "At the outset, we anticipated interest but were surprised by just how quickly the program grew."

The program has been a success for all parties involved, with lower tuition for students, investment in employees for school districts, and the reduction of the teacher shortage for the universities. Additionally, the South Dakota Department of Labor is addressing the workforce gap in South Dakota.

"The win-win-win-win model worked so well that we used this when creating the youth apprenticeships to grow our workforce in education and cyber," De Jong said.

Currently, DSU offers two youth apprenticeship programs for high schoolers, one in cyber and one for paraprofessional apprentices in education. The cyber apprentices are employed by their school's IT department or a local technology business and are taking dual credit courses in the Governors Cyber Academy. The paraprofessional apprentices are employed by their school as paraprofessionals while taking dual credit courses in DSU's Gateway to Teacher Education Certificate.

These apprenticeships give students hands-on experience and the chance to complete dual-credit courses to reduce the number of courses they will need to take to complete their college degree, De Jong explained.

He was excited to learn that these programs have led to DSU having the most active apprentices in South Dakota, but this isn't DSU's first acknowledgement of success with apprenticeships. In 2024, the South Dakota Department of Labor awarded Dakota State the Start Today Legacy award for its leadership in shaping how registered apprenticeships impact the state.

Looking ahead, De Jong sees a deepening and broadening of apprenticeship opportunities.

"DSU and the College of Education & Human Performance are committed to growing youth apprenticeships, not only in education but also in high-demand areas like cyber," De Jong said.

"Plans are underway to expand to new fields such as business, giving high school students and young adults early, hands-on pathways into meaningful business careers."

Tags: Academics All News Online @ DSU College of Education