LeProwse named Montana ACTE Post-Secondary Professional of the Year
Highlands College of Montana Tech instructor Jim LeProwse has been named as the 2025 Montana Association for Career and Technical Education (Montana ACTE) Post-Secondary Professional of the Year.
The award recognizes the finest career and technical professionals at the postsecondary level who have instructed and educated students involved in career and technical education pathways, demonstrated innovation in the classroom, and exhibited dedication to the improvement of CTE in their institutions and communities.
“Jim is an excellent instructor,” Highlands College Dean Tammy Burke said. “It is evident that he tries to make his projects very applicable to what students will see in the real world so they have that experience going into employment. I think the most important attribute that Jim has is that he truly cares about this program, the students, the Butte community, and of course, his family. On top of having a family and his teaching load, he is the department head for Auto, Welding and Machining and also coaches baseball and football for the community. He gives his all every day and I could not ask for a better faculty member.”
LeProwse is department head for the Welding Technology program at Highlands College, where he has been an instructor for four years. He previously was a welding instructor at Dawson Community College in Glendive for 11 years. This year the Highlands College Welding program started the semester with 39 students, one of the larger cohorts in recent years.
“It is really nice to be recognized,” LeProwse said. “We put a lot of work into creating a really good program here. We've made a few changes in our curriculum like adding a second year of welding and the students seem to respond to that really well.”
LeProwse’s welding students learn by participating in projects that have real-world applications. It’s an approach that helps students land great careers post-graduation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes the median annual salary for a welder in 2024 was $51,000 a year. LeProwse notes there are employment opportunities in Butte and Montana for ironworkers, fabrication shop workers, boilermakers, the mining industry, and aerospace manufacturing.
“I keep in contact with a lot of the students when they leave here,” LeProwse said. “I see them getting really good jobs and being valuable employees for the companies they work for.”
Michael Pavez, a second-year student from Riverside, California, praised LeProwse’s teaching style as he worked outside the college’s welding shop on a large trailer meant to move the modular homes created by the Highlands College Construction-Carpentry program.
“Jim is awesome,” Pavez said. “He’s out here with us. He instructs us in the shop, but he’s out here working alongside us too.”
Jack Aubert, a second-year student from Colville, Washington, agreed.
“Jim is a great leader,” he said.
Highlands College is home to certificate, associate degree, and workforce training programs that strive to build Butte and Montana’s workforce. Associate degrees offered include: Automotive Technology, Civil Engineering Technology, Construction Technology-Carpentry, Computer Networks and Cybersecurity, Pre-Apprentice Line Program, Precision Machining Technology, Radiologic Technology, Web Development and Administration, and Welding Technology. Workforce opportunities offered include: Commercial Driver’s License and Certified Nursing Assistant.
For information visit, https://www.mtech.edu/highlands/index.html.