Young Professionals and Their Impact

August 17, 2021

The Young Professionals (YP) employee resource group (ERG) is one vehicle young professionals can use to connect with peers from across the enterprise while driving enterprise results and inclusion.

With 45 chapters located in 17 countries, YP is one of Caterpillar’s most active ERGs. Shane Povlick is the Vice Global Chair of YP and shares that the organization is committed to developing early talent through networking events and development opportunities. He says, “Many of us start with entry level jobs but we can show leadership capabilities through involvement with ERGs. As I worked my way up in YP, I was able to try out different leadership styles. Even though you don’t have traditional direct reports in an ERG, you still have to influence people to meet goals and implement strategy. The experience has proven to be invaluable.”

Critical to Caterpillar’s talent strategy is the retention of early talent. Ensuring that Caterpillar teams have young professionals represented is viewed as critical to continuing innovation and progress that keeps Caterpillar relevant to our customers and industry. He says, “Young professionals have the tools and mindset to provide business knowledge that those who have been in the organization for a long time might not have.” With this in mind, YP members serve as an essential resource to the business, and they are encouraged to share the expectations they have as young professionals about their career at Caterpillar, as well as why they joined the enterprise and how their experience could be improved. This information is invaluable when implementing a strategy to not only retain talent but cultivate the next generation of leaders. 

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