With the tremendous job growth and economic boom on the Northern Plains, tribal colleges in Montana and North Dakota are initiating new innovative programs to address the region's workforce necessities. United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), Fort Peck Community College (FPCC), Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC), and Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) banded together and formed the Tribal College Consortium for Developing Montana and North Dakota Workforce, known simply as DeMaND. The initiative is part of the U.S. Department of Labor's Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grant Program. The total cost for the three-year DeMaND project is $18.9 million. The DeMaND workforce project has four main goals: accelerate progress for low-skilled and other workers, with an emphasis on American Indians; improve retention and achievement rates, and reduce the time it takes to complete a degree or certificate program; build programs that meet industry needs, including career pathways; and strengthen online technology-enabled learning. Each college that is a part of the DeMaND consortium is building or enhancing programs to meet these goals. Although there were workforce needs beyond those specific to the oil business, the Bakken boom was, and is, the primary driving force behind the tremendous program development that has taken place at UTTC, FPCC, ANC, and CCCC.