GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Joining students and industry partners, Governor Greg Gianforte yesterday proclaimed February as Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month in Montana and celebrated the expansion of Build Montana to Great Falls Public Schools (GFPS).
“Many good-paying jobs require specialized skills, Career and Technical Education programs provide those skills, empower our students, and develop our workforce,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’ll continue to promote access to programs like Build Montana and create greater opportunity for more Montanans.”
Build Montana is a partnership between the Montana Contractors Association (MCA), the Montana Equipment Dealers’ Association, and the MCA Education Foundation to provide high school students with work-based learning opportunities. Serving approximately 140 students in the state, the program recently expanded to GFPS.
Touring the automotive shop at the Paris Gibson Education Center, the governor yesterday welcomed the inaugural class of 13 students and heard directly from them on the benefits of the program.
“This program brings a lot of opportunities to my future, now I have a wide variety of jobs that I can go to. This allows me to step forward and take a leap,” said Jonathan Moore, GFPS student and Build Montana participant.
Speaking to the impact of CTE programs, GFPS Executive Director for Student Achievement Heather Hoyer shared, “44% of our students here in Great Falls go to college, and 53-56% have other endeavors they want to pursue. We are really excited about being able to offer high quality CTE programming for those students. Build Montana is presenting that.”
Last year, the governor expanded work-based learning opportunities for Montana students, signing three bills into law to support schools in offering internships, apprenticeships, and CTE programs.
In addition, to boost the skills of hardworking Montanans and meet the needs of employers, the governor also proposed and established the Montana Trades Education Credit (MTEC) in 2021, providing employers a credit for employee education and training. The governor nearly doubled MTEC in 2023.
Declaring February as CTE Month in Montana and signing the proclamation, the governor concluded, “Everybody wins when students have access to personalized work-based learning paths to prepare them for their future. I’m proud to proclaim February as CTE Month to continue empowering young Montanans like you all with in-demand skills.”
The governor’s proclamation can be viewed here.
Press release provided by the Governors office
