Preparing Students for Green Jobs in Northwestern Montana

Recommendations for Educational Institutions in the Region and Across the US

Educational institutions play a vital role in preparing learners for meaningful careers and
ensuring investments in the workforce are grounded in communities’ needs, long-term
sustainability, and economic opportunity. This report, adapted from an analysis
conducted for Salish Kootenai College (SKC) in Pablo, Montana, combines labor market
and education data analysis with findings from stakeholder engagement to identify
high-demand and high-opportunity green job fields in Montana’s Flathead region and
across the state. It discusses the skills students need for good, sustainable jobs, the
trainings (existing and missing) needed to prepare them for those jobs, and
opportunities to expand or adapt academic curriculums. It also provides
recommendations for regions like northwestern Montana and communities in urban and
rural areas alike across the US.

We identify opportunities for educational institutions to expand and align coursework and training
with the needs of the smart manufacturing, clean energy, green building, responsible food systems,
water resources management, and land and forest management job clusters.1 Growing jobs in the
region and throughout Montana differ in their wages, job quality, and barriers to entry, but focusing on
certain transferable knowledge, skills, and certifications can prepare students for multiple pathways.
While this report’s findings are specific to the Flathead region, educational institutions around the
country can draw insights from those findings and examine similar labor market data in their own
regions.

Rebecca Marx Nathan Sick