Caterpillar, alongside Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, announced the launch of its workforce commitment in Ark., marking another meaningful step in its five-year, $100 million Building the Future Workforce Initiative.
With an allocation of up to $3 million, the funding aims to prepare Ark. workers for jobs in modern manufacturing and industry technician roles.
"Every community has the talent to build a strong manufacturing workforce. Investments like this can help create more opportunities for that talent to grow and succeed," said Christy Pambianchi, Caterpillar's chief human resources officer.
Arkansas, Strategic Manufacturing State
As Caterpillar places growing emphasis on strengthening manufacturing capabilities, the state represents an opportunity for growth, and the state's rising potential made it a natural fit for this investment. Caterpillar employs more than 530 people in Ark. and works with 60 suppliers across the state.
"You can't build the industries of tomorrow without building the workforce to power them," said Gov. Sanders. "Caterpillar understands that the future of manufacturing depends on investing in people just as much as technology. By connecting training directly to the needs of employers, this initiative will give more Arkansans the skills to step into good-paying careers and give businesses another reason to invest, expand and create jobs in our state."
In North Little Rock, Caterpillar's facility opened in 2010 as a dedicated motor grader plant and later expanded to add medium wheel loader and paving products to the product line. The facility also is embracing modern manufacturing technologies to improve efficiency, quality, velocity and cost and has established itself as a safety leader and an early adopter of technologies to keep team members safe, according to Caterpillar.
Caterpillar helps strengthen collaboration among training institutions, students, employers and other key community-based organizations to ensure individuals have access to affordable, relevant training that supports career advancement, according to the company.
The initiative seeks to expand hands-on manufacturing pathways for students, increase technical training capacity across the region and deepen employer engagement through collaborations with leading organizations, including the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College, Little Rock Regional Chamber and Academies of Central Arkansas.
This marks the fifth allocation for this initiative.
