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

  • abstract pattern of shapes, arrows and circuit lines

    Internet2 Announces a New President and CEO to Step Up in October

    Internet2, the member-driven nonprofit offering advanced network technology services and cyberinfrastructure to the research and education community has completed its search, which began this past May, for a new president and CEO to take the helm.

  • shield with an AI microchip emblem hovering above stacks of gold coins

    AI Security Spend Surges While Traditional Security Budgets Shrink

    A new Thales report reveals that while enterprises are pouring resources into AI-specific protections, only 8% are encrypting the majority of their sensitive cloud data — leaving critical assets exposed even as AI-driven threats escalate and traditional security budgets shrink.

  • stack of gold coins disintegrates into digital particles against a dark circuit-board background with glowing AI imagery

    MIT Report: Most Organizations See No Business Return on Gen AI Investments

    A recent report out of the MIT Media Lab found that despite $30-40 billion in enterprise spending on generative AI, 95% of organizations are seeing no business return.

  • young man in a denim jacket scans his phone at a card reader outside a modern glass building

    Colleges Roll Out Mobile Credential Technology

    Allegion US has announced a partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Denison College, in conjunction with Transact + CBORD, to install mobile credential technologies campuswide. Implementing Mobile Student ID into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will allow students access to campus facilities, amenities, and residence halls using just their phones.