Butte Montana has been in the news in recent years for making a great comeback. A lot of Butte’s second-round success can be attributed to its blossoming programs built to further develop the local economy and the everyday lives of Butte residents.
What is Workforce Development
Workforce development is typically done with the intention to boost or stabilize a local or national economy. The approach focuses on the people or workers rather than the business. Instead of purchasing new machinery, software, etc. for the business, the investment is put towards the people. This means creating new opportunities easily accessible by each citizen of that economy.
Workforce development can address a lack of skilled workers or the need for more workers in a certain sector or industry. Incentives are usually provided to encourage residents to take advantage of a new opportunity to progress or advance in a new field.
In recent years, Butte, Montana has done an excellent job of investing in its local residents. From creating new job opportunities to offering new ways avenues for education, here is what Butte is doing to further its workforce development.
Butte’s Workforce Development
Highlands College of Montana Tech
Highlands College of Montana Tech is making it clear: they want to see the people of Butte succeed. There’s no better person to push them there than Butte native and Dean of Highlands College, Karen VanDaveer.
Among many efforts to stimulate Butte’s local economy, Highlands College offers a variety of certificates, associate degrees, community education, and customized training. Building a qualified workforce is essential when building a strong local economy.
The college also offers short courses. This makes it easy for Butte locals to obtain an education without requiring students to be on campus full time. In short, the people of Butte can grow, progress, and further their education without totally disrupting their lives.
According to VanDaveer, the college is open to developing a new program to meet your business’s needs should one not exist already. VanDaveer, and the college itself, do a great job of adapting to new and non-traditional ideas and opportunities — a critical trait if we have learned anything in the last two years.
Butte Tax Incentives and Financial Gains
Montana has many laws in place that ease the financial burden of owning a business for local business owners.
For starters, Montana does not have a general sales, use, or transaction tax. This makes it much easier for Butte business owners to purchase supplies for their business. Additionally, business inventory is not taxed in the state of Montana. This helps to remove even more stress from a business owner’s budgeting and planning. As a business owner, saving money is essential. Montana’s tax benefits for business owners could place you in a very good position financially when managed correctly. If you’re looking to establish a business in a new city that ensures a good ROI, look towards Butte, Montana.
Environmental Job Development
In an effort to reverse environmental damage due to the past copper mines, Butte has created new job opportunities for those working in the environmental sciences. Butte recently provided a 900-page plan to clean the remainder of the Superfund complex, which is promising not only for the environment but the local job economy.
Local Grants
Grants can be a transformative gift to newfound business owners. Different than a loan, business owners do not need to pay back a grant.
There are two types of grants: government and private. Business owners are eligible for grants on a state-by-state, and even city-by-city basis.
Montana offers a wide variety of grants to local business owners, including:
- State of Montana Workforce Training Grants: Provides funding to businesses training new, full-time, and part-time workers.
- State of Montana Big Sky Economic Development Trust Funds Grant: Offers job creation grants, which includes worker training, infrastructure costs, construction, relocation costs and working capital. This also offers planning grants, which includes the development of business plans, feasibility studies, preliminary architectural reports, preliminary engineering reports, economic impact studies, workforce surveys, and target industry analysis for economic development projects.
- State of Montana Incumbent Worker Training Fund (IWT): Covers funding for additional training to existing workers for small businesses.
- Montana Technology Innovation Partnership: Grant funding to small but promising life science companies with goals to develop their business.
