Assessment: Rosebud Sioux Tribe
REDCO summer youth interns work in a local community garden as part of REDCO's Food Sovereignty Initiative. (Photo: REDCO)
Confronting an 83% unemployment rate and 44% poverty rate among tribal members, RST resolved to comprehensively evaluate the current state of its economy, the current state of education among its people, and what they collectively mean for the Tribe’s ability to improve on those rates. RST’s economic development corporation REDCO has produced the Tribe’s first “State of Future Workforce” report, what it calls “an honest assessment” that recognizes the “symbiotic” relationship between a well-educated workforce and RST’s ability to build a strong, sustainable economy for the next seven generations. Among other things, the report found “a high need” to strengthen basic math, writing, and communication skills among RST members to make them workforce ready. The data generated through the report has equipped REDCO and RST with the information they need to develop short-, medium-, and long-range actionable goals for cultivating a stronger workforce and economy, such as establishing robust career and internship program for youth and adults, creating strong partnerships with one another and other entities to “close sustainability gaps such public transportation and data collection,” and ensuring that RST’s economic activities and the local education system enact and reflect the Tribe’s cultural values.
CONNECT: Wizipan Little Elk, CEO, Rosebud Economic Development Corporation, wizipan.littleelk@sicangucorp.com
Workforce Development: ROSEBUD SIOUX TRIBE
To learn more about Rosebud’s workforce development story, click on the resources below.