Great Falls College receives $637,000 USDA grant for vet assistant, vet tech program

Great Falls College has been awarded a $637,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to strengthen Montana’s veterinary workforce and expand opportunities for students pursuing careers in animal care.

A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, awarded through the Agricultural Workforce Training Grant program, will help Great Falls College remove barriers that can prevent students from completing their training and entering the veterinary workforce. The funding will support several key student needs, including:

• Travel arrangements and accommodations for required bootcamp courses to study exotic and large animals, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities that may not be available in all local clinic settings.
• Licensing exam fees and costs associated with attending the annual Montana Veterinary Medical Association conference, allowing students to build professional connections and engage with leaders in the veterinary field.
• The purchase of specialized equipment needed for students to practice and master essential clinical skills.
• A peer-to-peer mentoring program, pairing first-year students with second-year students for guidance, support, and academic success.
• Rabies vaccinations for students, ensuring safety and compliance for those working closely with animals during their training.
• Together, these investments will help ensure that students in the veterinary technician program have the resources, experiences, and professional connections necessary to successfully complete the program and enter Montana’s growing veterinary workforce.

“We are deeply grateful for this USDA investment,” said Dr. Stephanie Erdmann, CEO and dean of Great Falls College. “It removes real barriers for our students and strengthens a program that serves communities across Montana. Our veterinary partners, faculty and, most importantly, our students will feel the impact for years. This support helps more students stay in their hometowns, make industry connections and prepare for meaningful, high‑demand careers in animal care.”

Great Falls College’s Veterinary Technician program allows students to take the classroom portion of their learning online and the hands-on, skills-based portion at approved veterinary partners so the students don’t have to uproot their lives and can stay in their hometowns. This model also means students are gaining real-world experience by working alongside practicing veterinary professionals in their own communities. This not only strengthens workforce partnerships but also ensures graduates are well prepared to meet the needs of veterinary practices throughout Montana and beyond.

The grant also helps Great Falls College by providing funding for the college to visit the network of veterinary partners across the state and ensure they have what they need to support the students.

The approved partners are key to the success of the program and a vital part of the strategy to make sure the state’s only Veterinary Technician program is accessible to students and communities in every corner of the state.

Montana faces a significant shortage of trained veterinary assistants and technicians. With an annual program capacity of 16 students, the enhanced pathway will help close that gap by preparing more graduates for roles in veterinary clinics, animal hospitals and other agriculture-related settings.

“These partnerships are essential,” said Julie Barnwell, director of the Health Sciences Division at Great Falls College. “Clinics across the state help our students complete their clinical training close to home, and in turn, our graduates help meet the workforce needs of Montana’s animal-care community. These enhancements make the program more accessible, more affordable and more aligned with what employers need. Students will graduate with stronger skills, more credentials and more confidence when they enter the workforce.”

Another key component of the grant is integrating industry-recognized credentials directly into the college’s existing Veterinary Assistant and Veterinary Technician pathways.

Great Falls College students who complete the Certificate of Applied Science in Veterinary Assistant after the first year in the program now will be eligible to sit for the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America Veterinary Assistant exam and earn the Associate Veterinary Assistant credential — a nationally recognized certification that opens doors to immediate employment.

And for those who complete the Veterinary Assistant exam and the Veterinary Technician program, it just opens more doors for the students.

“Earning both the Associate Veterinary Assistant and licensed veterinary technician credentials provides graduates with diverse employment opportunities, including positions as veterinary office support, veterinary assistants and veterinary technicians,” Barnwell said.

The grant also will fund a peer-to-peer mentoring program called Near Peer that will pair first-year students with second-year students for support. The peers also will work on initiatives in their home communities to spark community interest. The Veterinary Technology program director will oversee the program.