Montana 'Year to Career' Initiative to Create Microcredential Job Pathways

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 09/29/23

The Montana University System (MUS), in collaboration with Education Design Lab (EDL) and other stakeholders, has launched a new initiative to create 12 to 20 microcredential programs that can be completed within a year and allow learners to gain either an associate's degree or immediate employment in high-demand careers such as IT and other technology.

Twelve Montana colleges are currently being transformed over the next two years to become "engines of sustainable economic growth and regional talent suppliers," according to EDL.

EDL will provide the framework to design, implement, support, and leverage pathways to jobs with livable wages. The partners include Montana's Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE), MUS's Two Year Council, and others, such as Accelerate Montana, Rapid Retraining Program; Montana Economic Development Administration; Montana Department of Labor and Industry; Montana Department of Commerce; Montana Business Assistance Connection; and a host of higher education institutions across the state, as well as local organizations and tribal colleges and organizations.

The initiative builds on the Montana Future at Work initiative, funded by several sources, including the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Walmart, the Charles Koch Foundation, and the Carnegie Foundation.

"As employers in a tight labor market, we need to change our thinking about finding 'an' employee to one of building a pipeline of future employees in Montana," said Brian Obert, Executive Director of the Montana Business Assistance Connection.

"Being able to work not just with the colleges, but also alongside innovative state leaders in Montana, marks a major milestone in our ability to create greater economic opportunity for learners in an increasingly skills-based ecosystem," said Bill Hughes, president and CEO of EDL. "We look forward to seeing how this work can scale and inspire other states to rethink how they are creating pathways from college to career."

Visit this EDL News page to learn more about this initiative.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • From the Kuali Days 2025 Conference: A CEO's View of Planning for AI

    How can a company serving higher education navigate the changes AI brings to ed tech? What will customers expect? CT talks with Kuali CEO Joel Dehlin, who shared his company's AI strategies with attendees at Kuali Days 2025 in Anaheim.

  • glowing blue AI sphere connected by fine light lines, positioned next to a red-orange shield with a checkmark

    Cloud Security Alliance Offers Playbook for Red Teaming Agentic AI Systems

    The Cloud Security Alliance has introduced a guide for red teaming Agentic AI systems, targeting the security and testing challenges posed by increasingly autonomous artificial intelligence.

  • Training the Next Generation of Space Cybersecurity Experts

    CT asked Scott Shackelford, Indiana University professor of law and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, about the possible emergence of space cybersecurity as a separate field that would support changing practices and foster future space cybersecurity leaders.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    OpenAI Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.