Governor Gianforte Convenes Roundtable on Career and Technical Education

• February 07 2024

EAST HELENA, Mont. – Convening a dozen educators, legislators, business leaders, and community partners, Governor Greg Gianforte held a roundtable discussion today to celebrate investments in Montana students through Career and Technical Education (CTE).

“CTE programs not only promote diverse educational pathways for our students, but also build up the skilled workforce of tomorrow,” Gov. Gianforte said. “By developing and promoting work-based learning programs in our schools, our students expand their horizons while we help Montana employers meet their workforce needs.”

Gov. Gianforte speaking during a roundtable at East Helena High School

Continuing CTE week at East Helena High School, the group discussed the importance of increased collaboration between education and industry to expand opportunities for Montana’s students and build a stronger workforce.

Joining the governor for the roundtable to discuss workforce needs was Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) Commissioner Sarah Swanson.

“Montana is facing a critical workforce shortage in a number of industries – from health care, to technology, to the trades. Across our state, young people are stepping up to learn the skills they need to thrive in good-paying Montana jobs,” said Swanson. “Partnering with innovative high schools like East Helena, we’re getting kids out of the classroom and giving them the opportunity to work with employers to develop those lifelong skills.”

Sharing perspective from the private sector, Mike Houghton with Dick Anderson Construction added, “We’ve made significant outreach to high schools and are building out our outreach to middle schools to express that a four-year degree is not the only option. We’ve worked with career coaches who’ve been fantastic to help us get into schools and cultivate relationships.”

To get career coaches into more Montana schools to support students in their educational and career endeavors, the governor last year signed into law House Bill 458, sponsored by Rep. Fred Anderson, R-Great Falls.

Highlighting the benefit of growing apprenticeship opportunities in the state, DLI Apprenticeship Project Manager Mark Lillrose shared, “When we look at CTE, work-based learning, apprenticeships, and internships, these are business-led ventures that give students direct entry into the middle class without the debt.”

Last November, the governor was proud to announce that in 2022, Montana added more apprenticeships to the Registered Apprenticeship Program than ever before, many of which were added following a rule change championed by the governor that went into effect that year.

While preserving workplace safety and training standards, the rule change revised the previous journeyman to apprentice ratio of 2:1 to 1:2, allowing one journeyman to supervise two apprentices.

Thanking the governor and legislature for their leadership, Townsend School District Superintendent Susie Hedalen shared, “Thanks to funding mechanisms like Transformational Learning grants and the Advanced Opportunities Program, our schools are able to take their programs to the next level. We no longer just have work-release, students are now fulfilling an industry-recognized credential and something they can put on their resume that will build into something bigger.”

Emphasizing growing student excitement to participate in these programs, East Helena High School Principal Brian Kessler added, “Now we’re seeing the kids recognize how important and how easy it can be to get jobs right away coming out of these CTE programs. And, we have such incredible teachers that are able to get our kids excited about the trades. I could offer welding every period, every day and still not have enough spaces.”

Promoting trades education and increasing access to individualized, work-based learning opportunities to strengthen Montana’s workforce is a top priority for Governor Gianforte.

In 2021, the governor authorized every school district in the state to establish individualized, work-based learning paths for students.

And, in line with his priorities, the governor last year expanded work-based learning opportunities for Montana students, signing three bills into law to support schools in offering internships, apprenticeships, and CTE programs.

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