The Peoria community was jolted Tuesday when Caterpillar Inc. announced its global headquarters will move to Chicago later this year.
At Bradley, many students within the fields of engineering, business and communications look forward to the opportunity of applying for Caterpillar internships. Despite the location change of the company’s headquarters, Caterpillar is still accepting interns at the Peoria location.
“Caterpillar is still actively recruiting Bradley students,” Sandra McDermott, Director of Employer Services at the Smith Career Center, said. “They have several openings for 2017 positions – both internship and full-time entry-level. We encourage students to consider applying for these positions. Caterpillar is participating in several recruiting events this spring including information sessions, Feedback Friday, Spring Job and Internship Fair and others. We look forward to a continued partnership with Caterpillar Inc.”
The headquarters’ move was announced by new CEO Jim Umpleby, who said 300 additional employees will also make the transition to Chicago, while the majority of employees will remain in Peoria. Umpleby cited one reason for the move is to provide closer access to O’Hare International Airport, which Caterpillar employees use as their connection to global business endeavors.
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis spoke to the Peoria community in his State of the City address Wednesday, where he said Peoria will still have an abundant amount of Caterpillar workers.
“We may lose 300 jobs when this is done, but we still have the 12,000-plus people living and working here when those folks leave,” Ardis said.
Junior public relations major and Caterpillar intern Sarah Brashear said her internship with Caterpillar provides her with opportunities for experiential learning.
“I started as a corporate communications intern last May and am still currently working at CAT,” Brashear said. “I am now technically a communications ‘college practicum,’ which is basically just a fancier way to say ‘intern who works during the year.’ I plan to stay on board until I graduate.”
Throughout her time at Caterpillar, Brashear has acquired a plethora of skills regarding her field of study.
“I have received a ton of hands on experience in public relations, which is the field I plan to go into,” Brashear said. “I am building an extensive portfolio of graphic work, website design, writing and plenty others. Everything I do at CAT on a day-to-day basis is almost exactly what I would be doing if I had a real job, so it’s crazy cool to see and experience this workplace first hand.”
According to Brashear, one of the best things about Caterpillar’s Peoria location is being able to intern while also taking classes during the academic year.
“One of the biggest reasons I took the CAT offer over other internship offers I received was because I knew I could keep working while still taking classes at Bradley,” Brashear said. “If I would have had to work in Chicago, I would have been able to do it over the summer, but not been able to continue during the year.”
Students with sophomore standing and above are invited to learn more about the fields of math, statistics, data and other internship opportunities at “Caterpillar Information Session – Analytics Professional Development Program” at 6 p.m. Feb. 6 in Westlake Hall room 116.
