Montana Energy Workforce Study Released

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry http://dli.mt.gov/ released a report on Montana’s energy workforce that details the education and training needed for Montana’s energy jobs. The study, "Drilling for Workers: A Workforce Assessment of the energy industry in Eastern Montana’s WIRED
Region," http://www.matr.net/files/WIREDReportFinal.pdf examines the economic challenges in the WIRED region, the future of the energy industry in Montana, and the skills and training needed for Montana’s energy jobs.

"Montana’s energy industry is continuing to grow, adding new sources of energy and the necessary infrastructure to deliver power to our customers," said Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly. "In continuing this growth, our most precious resource is our workforce, and we need to make sure our workers have the tools they need for new energy industry jobs on the horizon. The information in this report is vital to energy businesses addressing their workforce needs and to policy makers concerned about the education and workforce training of energy workers."

The study was completed by the Research and Analysis Bureau of the Montana Department of Labor at the request of Montana’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant. The Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) region is comprised of 32 counties and six Indian Reservations in Eastern Montana.