Montana Department of Labor & Industry

The past eight years have been filled with some incredible highs and lows. Montana saw its lowest unemployment rate in recent history and what seemed to be an insatiable demand for timber. Then the 2007 recession hit crippling the national and the state economy. Although Montana didn’t escape unscathed, we were able to weather the storm and outperform the rest of the nation.

The unemployment trust fund remained solvent during the economic downturn. Montana was among a handful of states that did not have to borrow from the Federal Government to pay unemployment benefits; Montana ended fiscal year 2012 with the second highest ending fund balance in state history, with more than $453 million dollars in the bank. The ending fund balance is the amount of undesignated, unreserved funds remaining at year end after the state pays its obligations. Our state is in a great position for generations to come.

The Treasure State is known for its abundance of natural resources, and despite the decrease in demand for timber, many of those resources are still sought after. The energy sector along with emerging industries such as information and advanced technology, health services, value-added agriculture, tourism and communications are strong and growing. As the demand for our natural resources changes from timber, to oil and gas, wind, and other forms of green energy, so does the education needs of our workforce. Our workforce is our number one resource and as our economy continues to grow and new jobs come to the state, it is vital that workers have the training and education they need for those jobs.

We have several successful programs that are geared towards giving Montanans the training and education they need to succeed. In fact, some of those programs such as our On-The-Job Training, Jobs for Montana’s Graduates, and Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship programs have gained national attention and are setting the standard for other states.

In this issue of Main Street Montana we are focusing on education rather than a geographical location as we have in the past. We’ll take a look at the rise of enrollment in Montana’s two year schools; how programs like YouthBuild are making a difference in the lives of our youth; the success of the Governor and First Lady’s Math and Science Initiative; how the Incumbent Worker Training Program is benefiting workers and their employers; the largest increase of college graduates in the nation; and we’ll take a nostalgic look at Montana’s first school.