The South Dakota Career & Technical Education (CTE) Summer Conference is sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Education in cooperation with the South Dakota Association for Career and Technical Education (SDACTE). Each year, the conference provides over 300 teachers, administrators, and school counselors with opportunities to connect with educators and to explore best practices that will help them prepare students to be college, career, and life ready.

Future Conference Dates & Locations:

• 54th Annual CTE Summer Conference 2026 - Brookings, SD
• 55th Annual CTE Summer Conference 2027 - Watertown, SD

Teacher Externships are a form of professional development available to career and technical education (CTE) teachers looking to enhance their knowledge and skills through a personalized experience. Like an internship or a job shadow for students, an externship offers educators a hands-on, career connected learning experience with an industry or community partner, in a peer-to-peer learning environment. Educators use what they learn during an externship experience to enhance their CTE classroom content with the most up-to-date information from the workforce, connect with business and industry partners, and learn firsthand what they need to better prepare their students for the workforce. The implementation guides provided should be used to help educators, districts, and industry partners implement Teacher Externships.

• Educator Implementation Guide - CTE Teacher Externships
• District Implementation Guide - CTE Teacher Externships
• Industry Partner Implementation Guide - CTE Teacher Externship

Questions? Contact Mercedes Snedeker at mercedes.snedeker@state.sd.us.