GOED Partners with South Dakota Companies to Create Fall Internships 

PIERRE, S.D. – For the third time this year, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development is partnering with South Dakota companies to create employment opportunities for college students.

Three South Dakota companies –Bell Inc. in Sioux Falls, H.F. Webster in Rapid City and Thermo Bond Building in Elk Point -just received Dakota Seeds grants from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) to create internships. Already this year the Dakota Seeds program has created more than 100 internships.

Bell Inc.

Bell Inc. will hire two interns to work in their graphics department. Bell Inc. is one of the 20 largest independently-owned manufacturers of folding cartons in the United States.

H.F. Webster

H.F. Webster will hire one graduate assistant to engineer and design welding subsystems. The company specializes in manufacturing friction stir welded products, equipment and solutions. H.F. Webster serves the marine, transportation, construction/architectural, aerospace and container markets.

Thermo Bond Building

Thermo Bond Building will hire two engineering interns to improve production processes. The company manufactures buildings and custom cabinets to support the communications industry.

The Dakota Seeds program provides South Dakota companies with a pipeline of well-qualified full-time employment candidates, and provides students with solid job opportunities in South Dakota. Of the Dakota Seeds funded participants who have graduated, 35% have returned to the business they interned with for full-time employment.

Dakota Seeds grants provide funding to assist with internship wages. The grants cover up to one-half of a position’s wages.

This is the GOED’s third round of funding for the Dakota Seeds program this year. Earlier this year, the GOED announced funding to create 108 internships at more than 40 South Dakota companies.

Dakota Seeds grants are funded by The National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, administered by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and approved quarterly by the Workforce Development Council.

For more information, visit www.dakotaseeds.com

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