Nashville State, Cat Financial Welcome Third Apprenticeship Cohort

An apprenticeship program between Nashville State Community College and Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation (Cat Financial) enters its third year as a new cohort of IT students are hired.

The program provides the opportunity for Nashville State students to join Cat Financial where they will work in the information technology sector of the company.

The program, developed in January of 2023 with the support of Apprenticeship TN in the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, provides students the opportunity to earn credit towards their degree while gaining thousands of hours of paid, on-the-job training.

Nashville State students Richard DeBusk and Jordan Moores form the third cohort of students to join the Cat Financial team with a signing and announcement held on February 6 at the White Bridge campus.

“We are proud to continue this partnership between Nashville State and Cat Financial,” said college president Dr. Shanna L. Jackson. “Our first two groups of students had a great impact both here at the college and at Caterpillar and we are thrilled to continue this great relationship.”

While this opportunity provides students with the chance to further their skills, it also provides Cat Financial with a direct pipeline to the workforce of tomorrow.

The first cohort completed the program late Summer of 2024, transitioning into full-time associate level positions in the company.

The second cohort is more than halfway through their paid apprenticeship.

“These types of relationships are a key part of our mission at Nashville State,” said Dr. Jackson. “We are committed to providing a quality education that leads to high quality jobs for our students, and this is the exact kind of partnership that drives those opportunities.”