Corporate Rotational Programs for Engineers
Britta Jost – Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Confidential: Green
Outline
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Speaker background and experience
Benefits of a rotational program
Pitfalls of rotational programs
Variations on rotational programs
Caterpillar’s Rotational Program
Open discussion on rotational programs
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Britta Jost – Caterpillar Inc.
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Rotational Programs for Engineers
 Any program where a new hire is exposed to multiple, planned
job changes in the beginning of their career
 Survey – does your company have a rotational program for new
hire engineers?
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Benefits of Rotational Programs
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Begin building technical foundation
Create broad exposure to company, including other functions
Develop enterprise perspective
Begin network building
Build pride and engagement
Recruiting benefit
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Which attributes do you
perceive as the most
attractive? Select up to 3
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Which attributes do you
perceive as the most
attractive? Select up to 3
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Pitfalls of Rotational Programs
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Expense – loss of talent before benefit is realized
Steep learning curve
Need for more permanent talent now
Possible delay of early advancement
Mismatch between business needs vs. employee desire
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Variations of Rotational Programs
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All or some new hires enter a formal program
Hired into specific group vs. hired into a pool
Report to work director vs. report to central administrative group
Length of program
Rotation selection by employee, manager, or predetermined
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Additional possibilities
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Training
Committees
Social Events
Physical Relocation
Newsletter
Mentoring (formal or informal)
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Caterpillar’s Engineering Rotational Program
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Leadership & Technical Development Program
 Caterpillar’s Leadership and Technical Development Program
(LTDP) provides the foundation for the future success of
Caterpillar product and process technical leaders
 Six Functional tracks:
– Product Development
– Manufacturing Engineering
– Metallurgical Engineering
– Welding Engineering
– Supply Chain Management
– Environment, Industrial Health, & Safety
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This community includes:
 Design
 Development
 Test
 Simulation
 Purchased parts technical support
 Maintenance and product/customer
support of Caterpillar product in
– Research
– New Product Introduction
– Continuous Product Improvement
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Product Development Track Overview
3 - 6 month rotation
design, test, development, or
simulation (depending on
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Continuous Training
hiring responsibilities)
Two, 3 month rotations
encompassing the full product
lifecycle
 Program Length: Average of 12 -18 months
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 Rotation Length: Flexible, based on Business Requirements
and Individual’s background
 Rotation opportunities tailored to intended job responsibilities
 Integrated Core Training
 Coaching and Mentoring
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 Graduate to hiring group for typical 3-year assignment
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3 month cross-functional
rotation (e.g. manufacturing,
purchasing)
Leadership & Technical Development Program
 Caterpillar’s Leadership and Technical Development Program
(LTDP) provides the foundation for the future success of
Caterpillar product and process technical leaders
 Six Functional tracks:
– Product Development
– Manufacturing Engineering
– Metallurgical Engineering
– Welding Engineering
– Supply Chain Management
– Environment, Industrial Health, & Safety
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Manufacturing Engineering Track Overview
Rotation 1
Rotation 2
Rotation 3
Graduate
Placement
Continuous Training
 3-year program
 Assignments based on business
requirements and an individual’s
development needs
 Integrated Training
 Coaching and Mentoring
 Graduate placement made on business
requirements and an individual’s
preference
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Three Rotation Assignments Include:
 1-Year in Manufacturing Engineering
 1-Year in Operations Supervision
 1-Year in a cross-functional area including:
– Quality
– Purchasing
– Supply Chain Management
– Logistics
Leadership & Technical Development Program
 Caterpillar’s Leadership and Technical Development Program
(LTDP) provides the foundation for the future success of
Caterpillar product and process technical leaders
 Six Functional tracks:
– Product Development
– Manufacturing Engineering
– Metallurgical Engineering
– Welding Engineering
– Supply Chain Management
– Environment, Industrial Health, & Safety
Join the Team.
Metallurgical Engineering Track Overview
Rotation 1
Rotation 2
Graduate
Placement
Continuous Training
 3-year program
 Assignments based on business
requirements and an individual’s
development needs
 Integrated Training
 Coaching and Mentoring
 Graduate placement made on business
requirements and an individual’s
preference
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Two Rotation Assignments Include:
 18-months in product engineering, including:
– Failure analysis, research, or development
 18-months in process engineering, including:
– Heat treating, casting, coatings, or supplier
development
Program Events
 Informational Meetings
 Social and Networking Events
 Summit Week
- Overview of Caterpillar
- Regional Facility Tours
- Exposure to Senior Leadership
Program events area integrated with the other
Leadership and Technical Development Program tracks
to build relationships between product development
and production systems.
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Volunteer Leadership Committees
Harness your leadership skills and foster your team
building skills through:
– Safety and Sustainability
– Community Involvement
– Informational Meeting
– Recognition
– Social
– Engineering & Manufacturing Times newsletter
– Recruiting & Hosting
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Open discussion on rotational programs
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