Caterpillar and the Arkansas government announced a $3 million funding plan to help people in the state prepare for modern manufacturing and tech jobs. This funding is part of Caterpillar’s larger five-year $100 million project, the Building the Future Workforce Initiative. 

Caterpillar already has similar projects in Texas, Illinois, and Indiana, as well as a separate innovation challenge.

Caterpillar’s Presence in Arkansas

Photo: Caterpillar

Arkansas is becoming a hub for U.S. manufacturing. For example, Caterpillar employs over 530 people in the state and works with 60 different suppliers across the state. Its North Little Rock plant has been open since 2010. The plant started out making motor graders and eventually added paving products and medium wheel loaders to the mix.

As factories get more advanced, workers need new skills to keep up, which is why Caterpillar is putting money into training the next-generation of workers.

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“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 has exciting momentum within our industry, and this commitment will help build the training pathways and programs needed to prepare workers for the modern manufacturing careers that lie ahead.”

Training the Next Workforce

This money will help schools, students, and employers work together to make technical training affordable and relevant to what companies need. To make this happen, Caterpillar is teaming up with local groups like the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College, the Academies of Central Arkansas, and the Little Rock Regional Chamber.

“You can’t build the industries of tomorrow without building the workforce to power them,” said Gov. Sarah Huckabee 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.”