Seeley Swan Pathfinder -
Lawmakers popose Education Tax Credits to help boost skilled labor force
Montana 67th Legislative Session
February 18, 2021
Casey Olson has been on a drill rig since 1991. Back then, Olson worked at a mineral exploration company, and though the work was “break-back,” learning the equipment wasn’t too difficult.
Fast forward 30 years later, he’s now running Rabco Services as an independent well drilling contractor in Columbia Falls and Olson says the technology is rapidly outpacing the knowledge of new workers, which are hard enough to find as it is.
“We’re trying to target younger guys, we take older guys -- we take whoever wants to come,” Olson said in a phone interview. “I don’t even know that it’s really an age limit anymore. Everybody I know in our industry has kind of given up trying to hire somebody who’s already trained.”