“Parents in Montana by and large want their kids to go to a four-year institution,” said Jan Clinard, the Pathways coordinator at Helena College. “They think ‘Oh, that two-year is for someone else’s kid, not mine’ because they think it’s lesser. But if you look at the job market, it’s not. Two-year is a good choice.”

Programs like the one Olson enrolled in are becoming a more popular, and education and labor and industry officials are encouraging students to pursue them as Montana prepares for an anticipated worker shortage, and the cost of education continues to escalate.

CAMERON EVANS [email protected]

https://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/article_15848419-7682-55fe-a7d7-3f56d3342a5b.html

 

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‘This will be catastrophic’: Maine families face elder boom, worker shortage in preview of nation’s future

By 2026, a fifth of the population of Montana will be older than 65  which meets the definition of “super-aged.”