John White’s grandfather would tell him that getting a job in Lincoln County was easy. If you didn’t want to work in the mines, you could get a job in the woods. As one Libby Middle High School teacher puts it: “There was a time when Libby kids could walk out the door after graduation, go into the woods, and make more money than their teachers.” But by the time White, 26, graduated from Libby Middle High School and entered the workforce a few years ago, the economic fortunes of Libby, a rugged rural community in the northwest corner of Montana, had changed significantly. The mines had closed, logging was on the decline, and the county’s unemployment rate was consistently among the highest in the state. Often, young people like White left Libby for school or better job opportunities.

In the early 2010s, Libby Middle High School began offering welding classes hoping to help more young people prepare for local careers. (Photo by Hunter D’Antuono)

Over the last three decades, rural counties across the U.S. have lost on average 10% to 20% of 15- to 29-year-olds due to migration. Libby struggled to retain its young people, too, but investment in a series of local career and technical education (CTE) efforts has started to turn that tide. Over the last four years, Libby residents have launched more than a dozen CTE projects with funding from the LOR Foundation. Now homegrown talent is staying local and businesses are tapping into a skilled workforce.

“I love Libby, but growing up I worried about being able to find a job here,” White says. “Now I’m able to be where I want to live and do a job I actually want to do.”

Crafting Technical Skills

From the 1990s to 2010s, kids would leave Libby not because they wanted to, but because they could find more economic opportunity elsewhere. As young people left, the community began looking for solutions, starting with the local school district. In the early 2010s, Libby Middle High School launched welding classes hoping to help young people like White prepare for local trade careers. With the new program, high school students could earn college credits and certifications that would help them get a job after graduation. “Years ago, these kids would have been in advanced math and science classes,” Libby Public Schools superintendent Ron Goodman says. “But now they’re all flocking to this welding class.”

With superintendent Ron Goodman at the helm, Libby Public Schools has invested significantly in CTE programs, creating a local workforce pipeline that benefits students and employers. (Photo by Hunter D’Antuono)

The influx of students has proved a challenge for Libby Middle High School. Often, there’s a long waitlist to get into the class, and with a patchwork of welding machines, instructor Mort Curtiss has had to split students into groups, limiting the practice—and certifications—they can receive. In early 2025, teacher Michelle Foss and Goodman reached out to LOR with an idea to expand the program. The high school bought two new welders and adjustable stools with funding from LOR, allowing more students to participate and test for higher certifications.

With their advanced credentials, welding students are jumping directly into well-paying jobs in the local workforce. For business owners like LeRoy Thom, who started Montana Machine and Fabrication 35 years ago, Libby Middle High School’s welding program has proved a boon, supplying skilled workers and student interns. The welding program allowed White to stay in Libby and succeed. After securing an internship at Montana Machine and Fabrication in high school, White joined the company shortly after graduation. He now fabricates everything from boat motors to water trucks for local fire departments.

Creating Career Pathways

As an engagement strategist for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Janelle Kimberlin serves as a bridge between business owners and workers, teaming up with both to strengthen Libby’s workforce. In 2023, she hosted a series of meetings to identify Libby’s workforce challenges and training opportunities. She walked away with an idea: Libby had economic and educational tools, but local awareness and collaboration were missing. So, she approached the city of Libby about creating a local industry campaign. With funding from LOR, Kimberlin and the city printed more than a dozen banners and posters highlighting careers in Libby, hanging them on light posts around town and at Libby Middle High School. They also organized Libby’s first workforce expo, bringing nearly 1,000 students, job seekers, and local employers together to network and learn.

A local rancher and South 40 4-H club member watch a vet perform an ultrasound on a pregnant cow. LOR’s funding helped South 40 4-H purchase a mobile cattle chute so club members could learn how to safely handle large animals, administer vaccines, and prepare for careers in agriculture. (Courtesy of Kara Matthews)

Since then, Kimberlin has launched two more CTE projects with LOR’s support, including a hospitality workforce training program that the Montana Department of Labor and Industry has scaled to seven other rural communities across eastern Montana. The program has not only helped fill open jobs but improved cross-generational communication and dialogue between business owners and workers. “These are small businesses that do what they can, but they can only do so much,” Kimberlin says. “Having LOR in the community has helped us immensely.”

While Libby Middle High School and the Montana Department of Labor and Industry continue to invest in formal CTE programs, others like the South 40 4-H club have turned to informal career training. Led by local mom Kara Matthews and her daughters, the club aims to prepare Libby’s next generation of ranchers and farmers. Over the last three years, South 40 4-H has purchased a mobile cattle chute, built a portable livestock stall system, and launched new summer after-school programs with funding from LOR. The portable stall system allows students to show animals like pigs and sheep at the local county fair, while the cattle chute helps them safely handle large animals and administer vaccines—invaluable experience for kids set to take over family ranches or pursue other careers like veterinary medicine. The community is benefitting in other ways, too; in early March, South 40 4-H received a call late in the evening from a local rancher who had a breech calf. Matthews and other 4-H volunteers quickly loaded the chute and took it to the distressed cow for a successful birth.

South 40 4-H provides participants with essential skills, Matthews says. Even those who ultimately find jobs outside of agriculture still know how to manage budgets and clearly communicate. Like many in Libby, Matthews hopes the club’s programs can offer local kids the skills they need to succeed in life—and hopefully stay in Libby. “It’s all about helping kids find what interests them, help[ing] them find that spark,” she says. “And hopefully they can take that interest and build a career where they can succeed in their own community.”