Blackfoot Communications welcomed Montana Governor Greg Gianforte to its Missoula campus to celebrate the company’s successful apprenticeship program. The company has hired five apprentices since joining the Montana Registered Apprenticeship program, which matches students with companies to provide on-the-job training with hands-on-experience.

“I encourage other companies to follow Blackfoot’s lead by sponsoring apprenticeships to develop their workforce talent pipeline,” Governor Greg Gianforte said. 

Blackfoot partners with local universities and colleges to create a work experience program that benefits students with hands-on training, and when possible, helps with career placement. Blackfoot’s program enables students to gain first-hand experience in fields such as IT and Accounting, while also completing important coursework.

“When we joined the apprenticeship program in 2018, we had high expectations that the program would help us find new talent to support our growth,” said Laura Marshall, VP of Human Resources with Blackfoot Communications. “Additionally, we were excited about supporting local students by offering them real-world experience with the potential of joining Blackfoot full-time once the students met their requirements.”

The apprenticeship program has been a success due to the continued support and partnership with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, along with the Missoula College, the University of Montana and local businesses across the state.

As Blackfoot works to bring the benefits of its fiber network to even more customers, the apprenticeship program is helping the company with experienced talent to support this effort.

“As we continue to expand our fiber network, we are seeing an increasing need for an experienced workforce that will help us deliver the high-quality experience our customers have come to expect from Blackfoot,” said Jason Williams, CEO of Blackfoot Communications. “We’re looking forward to watching and supporting the growth of our apprenticeship graduates.”