LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — Caterpillar officials on Tuesday said Indiana is a natural choice for the first installment in a new workforce investment pledge.
The Irving, Texas-based company is putting up to $5 million toward training and upskilling efforts in Indiana. It’s part of a larger, $100 million nationwide campaign to invest in similar programs. Chief Human Resources Officer Christy Pambianchi said giving Indiana one of the first installments was not a difficult decision. The company employs more than 1,100 people at 12 different sites in Indiana, including its Lafayette plant.
“The factory footprint, the size of our workforce here made this a really smart opportunity for our first, inaugural piece of this investment,” she said.
Gov. Mike Braun said Caterpillar’s investment is a good example of the type of training investments he wants to encourage through the state government’s Power Up Indiana incentive program.
“To go along with this kind of investment, you’ve got to have a skilled workforce and you’ve got to have affordable housing, so all of those elements go together,” he said. “We’re going to try to do things like Power Up to make it easier for companies who are risking capital, reinvesting, we want to make sure all the elements are there.”
Pambianchi said company officials will work with local, Tippecanoe County and state leaders to decide how best to invest the money. She said the money could be used for workforce training or for other purposes.