A degree in a community college in South Dakota seems more promising and valuable than a degree from other institutions. Lake Area Tech in South has reached the highest placement rate across the United States and almost all of their graduates are able to land a job after school.
According to CNNMoney, among all the community colleges in the country, Lake Area Tech is the only school whose almost 100 percent of their graduates are either able to find work right after graduation, or proceed to continue their education within six month of finishing their program.
President Michael Cartney told CNNMoney that these graduates are predominantly employed. And that they measure success based on the placement rate, and graduation is just an important step.
This week, Lake Area Tech was recognized as the top community college in the US, according to KTVQ, where they were also awarded a cash prize of $600,000. This recognition was based on factors which include graduation rates and job placement rates, the alumni's earnings in their new jobs and the total number of low-income and the minority students who enroll and succeed.
The Lake Area Tech does their job so well in preparing their students for their future roles by giving them valuable hands-on experiences. One of the 2015 graduates, Vincent Henningsgard, said that never felt the need to learn because of an exam, but rather because it is something that he can use for his future career.
Lake Area Tech is relatively small with very small student population as well, which is less than 2,000. However, their job placement is worth taking note of considering the number of students who also graduate on time. By statistics, 39 percent of their students either finish or transfer, while 74 percent graduate at Lake Tech.
