Sioux Falls’ In-demand Career Paths Spotlighted to Students Across Upper Midwest
Sioux Falls’ In-Demand Career Paths Spotlighted to Students Across Upper Midwest
September 16, 2021,
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation (SFDF) will soon hold a major event at the University of Sioux Falls campus and telecast it to get middle schoolers, high schoolers and college students thinking about in-demand career paths and the employers who are looking to them as the region’s up-and-coming workforce.
Talent Draft Day, now in its third year, will be held in-person Thursday, September 23 at the University of Sioux Falls campus and simultaneously telecast to select middle- and high schools across the Upper Midwest in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and beyond.
Talent Draft Day is one of many efforts by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation to shine a spotlight on the types of in-demand jobs available in the Sioux Falls region. Importantly, Talent Draft Day also shows students how to work toward appropriate training to attain these in-demand jobs.
"Talent is the currency for economic growth and development in Sioux Falls right now," said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, "and you can't do workforce development in a vacuum. Dr. Bradfield and the entire USF community continue to be an excellent workforce resource to our business community. Talent Draft Day 2021 LIVE Telecast will reach thousands of college students from 245 colleges. We are pleased to have USF as our host partner in 2021."
“It’s a natural fit for USF to partner with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation on workforce development efforts, and we’re honored to do so with this far-reaching event,” said USF President Brett Bradfield. “USF does not operate in a bubble—we seek to serve the community that sustains our existence. An important element of USF programming is that it serve as a 2-way bridge between its students and the careers they seek, and vice versa, between employers and the talent they seek.”
Training camps will be held in the morning for middle school and high school students in key areas including nursing, pre-professional programs, data science, entrepreneurial studies and more. Additional training camps will focus on various pathways to jobs, how the college admissions process works and transferrable skills such as effective communication that are fostered by a liberal arts education.
Both Guzetta and Bradfield acknowledge that Gen Z, which includes today’s middle- and high-schoolers, have a very practical mindset toward higher education and its cost-benefit to them.
“Students want to know what routes are available to them,” Bradfield said, “and USF continues to revise its offerings with respect to marketplace needs while remaining true to the distinct identity of our institution. I think it’s fair to say the University is having some measure of success in doing so, as despite challenges the COVID-19 pandemic is causing colleges and universities nationwide, this fall USF welcomed a large incoming class, tied in size with the institution’s record-breaking 2019 incoming class.”
Talent Draft Day Schedule
Morning session (middle schoolers, high schoolers) - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central
· Super Star’s Kick-off
· Interactive Training Camps
· Think 3D Podcast
Afternoon session (college students, high schoolers) - 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Central
· Speed Networking at the University of Sioux Falls (Onsite) from 12:20 - 1:20 PM
· Talent Talks with Sioux Falls BEST (Online and Social Media) from 12:20 - 1:20 PM
· "How to Navigate Your Career in the First Year" by Think3D (Onsite, Online and Social Media) from 1:30 - 2:30 PM
Live ALL Star Prize Drawing - 2:30 p.m.
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation hosts multiple events per year for career professionals, K-12 students and college students. These events are designed to enhance and engage community members with the goal of strengthening the Sioux Falls area workforce. Learn more about the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.