Caterpillar is making a $10 million workforce development pledge to boost manufacturing careers in Illinois.
The investment announced last week at the company’s Edwards Demonstration Center is part of a larger five-year, $100 million “Building the Future Workforce Initiative” global commitment the heavy equipment maker launched in 2025.
Christy Pambianchi, Caterpillar’s chief human resources officer, said the statewide pledge shows the company’s “roots run deep in Illinois.”
“This investment builds on that legacy, helping ensure people have a clear path to manufacturing careers today while equipping the next generation of Illinoisans with the skills they need to succeed,” said Pambianchi.
The investment comes as Caterpillar sees its business surging, with an earnings call Tuesday reporting a 24% growth in sales and revenue in the second quarter — surpassing $20 billion in a single quarter for the first time.
“This milestone underscores both the essential work our customers do every day and the dedication of Caterpillar employees worldwide to solving our customers’ toughest challenges,” said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Joe Creed. “Strong order rates and a growing backlog reflect broadening momentum across all three of our primary segments.”
The Illinois workforce initiative extends across multiple communities where Caterpillar has an existing manufacturing footprint, including East Peoria, Mapleton and Morton in the Tri-County region, as well as Pontiac and Decatur.
“We’re really looking to help more people look at careers in manufacturing and skills trade,” said Asha Varghese, Caterpillar’s head of corporate social responsibility.
“It’s really looking at training, education, and new pathways through which we can connect more people and more students to good-paying, in-demand jobs in manufacturing and industrial careers.”
Gov. JB Pritzker said he’s encouraged to see Caterpillar playing a big role in growing Illinois’ manufacturing industry.
“Caterpillar’s commitment to strengthening our workforce will help more Illinoisans get the skills they need to successfully enter the workforce and ensure our manufacturers have the talent they need to grow and compete,” Pritzker said in a company news release.
Varghese said the workforce initiative is targeting four specific focus areas: strengthening manufacturing as a whole, making training more accessible, shifting the perception of modern manufacturing workforce needs, and implementing the approach in multiple communities and facilities.
She said a critical step is reducing the barriers to training in the manufacturing and industrial skills fields.
“We’re seeing such a big gap in the manufacturing space, and I think it’s only going to be exacerbated as you introduce more technology and the skill sets that’s need that’s needed for it,” said Varghese. “We want to be able to create pathways where students can understand how do you really attain the skills to be able to get a job in manufacturing or industrial skills.
“One of the ways in which we’re looking at this ecosystem is really to say, ‘How do we create those career pathways and career progressions,’ so they can see a future in manufacturing. They can see a good-paying, good-quality job in that particular space.”
Varghese said Illinois’ strong manufacturing base makes it appropriate for the $10 million workforce development investment.
“We have over 570,000 manufacturing jobs already in Illinois, a very talented workforce that’s already available, and a network of great education and training organizations,” she said.
“From Caterpillar’s standpoint, it is also home to over 17,000 Caterpillar employees. So it’s really a natural place for us to invest and to make sure that we’re really being an active player in the space, not just from an investment standpoint, but also as a manufacturer who has a significant presence in the state.”
