Western Dakota Tech partners with National Park Areas for Plus 50 initiative
Program aims to help students live later years with purpose and fulfillment

  As they have for decades, the 78 million baby boomers now approaching traditional retirement age want to define life after 50 on their own terms. They want to stay active and involved, and many want to continue to work. Now, they will be getting help from America’s two-year colleges via a newly launched “Plus 50 Initiative” to explore opportunities in service, training and education.
  Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City, SD, was selected as one of 15 colleges that will participate in the three-year initiative, which will develop and benchmark models for innovative programs reaching out to students over age 50. The project is funded with a $3.2 million dollar grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies and is led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
  Western Dakota Tech will partner with the region’s national park sites to help retirees explore opportunities as park volunteers as well as receive classroom and field training to become qualified applicants for seasonal jobs as park guides and interpretive rangers. WDT’s partners include Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park, Minuteman National Historic Site, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Wind Cave National Park. Others could be added. 
  “WDT provides practical training for jobs in western South Dakota,” WDT interim president Dr. Rick Gray said. “We are proud to partner with the National Park Service to train those who are plus-50 for interesting job opportunities." 
  Dr. Paige Baker, superintendent of Badlands National Park, said the program will benefit the national attractions and those who participate in the training.
  “The program will provide opportunities to experience the National Park Service and explore the possibilities for volunteer and seasonal employment,” Baker said. “What better job is there? You can rediscover your national parks by working there.”
  WDT and its National Park Service partners will develop the training schedule during the upcoming months, with plans to launch the training program in spring 2009. While the training will not guarantee employment, park officials said it will make successful participants more competitive for seasonal positions.  
  With life expectancies at record highs, many boomers expect to spend as many as three decades in retirement. Their imminent generational departure from the workforce is creating anxiety among employers and civic organizations that worry about a loss of skills, leadership and institutional memory.
  Today’s baby boomers see their lives after 50 as a melding of education, employment and leisure, with 4 out of 5 people over 50 saying they plan to work at least part-time in retirement, according to Civic Ventures, a California-based think tank that focuses on engaging the Plus 50 generation. Yet 62 percent of the boomer generation wishes they were better prepared for retirement, according to a 2006 MetLife study.
  Two-year colleges such as Western Dakota Tech are ideally suited to help plus-50 students determine how to make their bonus years productive and fulfilling. These institutions have long catered to the needs of non-traditional students, with 16 percent of their student population over age 40 and their average student age capping well above traditional 4-year colleges at 29 years.
  Western Dakota Tech is the only technical institute that serves the western South Dakota region. WDT offers more than 20 programs in a variety of fields, including Business, Construction Trades, Health Services, Human Services, and Manufacturing and Mechanical Trades. More than 95 percent of WDT graduates are placed in careers within six months of graduation, and more than 84 percent live and work in South Dakota.
  WDT faculty, staff, and administration focus their efforts on helping students gain the skills and experiences they need to succeed. Through hands-on learning, internships, and industry partnerships, WDT students graduate ready to make a real and immediate contribution to their employers and to their communities.