This year, Cat Footwear is excited to celebrate the students who have chosen to take the next steps in their construction career. 

Cat Footwear, a leading footwear brand under Wolverine World Wide, Inc., knows there is a great need for skilled workers in the construction trades. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, enrollment in construction trade courses have increased by 19.3% from 2021-2022. This shift to more skills-based labor could be a relief for the US economy, which has an active shortage of 500,000 construction workers. 

Therefore, with more and more students making the bold decision to enter a career in construction, Cat Footwear wants to celebrate, inspire and educate on what it means to be a student in this trade. 

Ahead of this upcoming school season and in partnership with Caterpillar Inc.’s ThinkBIG program, Cat Footwear will be joining forces with three students from three community colleges, and in collaboration with a sponsoring Cat dealer, to talk about their stories and experiences in taking this exciting step. Cat Footwear will amplify these stories across certain media platforms through sharing construction tips, back-to-construction school checklists, and inspiration for other students on this journey. 

"Many young adults don't go straight from high school to college, as more students are choosing to pursue an education in skilled trades. Consequently, they're often left out of the 'Back to School' conversation for having taken a different post-secondary route," said Lauren Heindl, Sr. Marketing Manager at Cat Footwear. "Therefore, we at Cat Footwear are honored to highlight three construction students whose stories excite, empower and guide both current and future students, particularly in the construction trade. From their biggest inspirations to the skills they're most proud of, we're so excited to celebrate the journey these students have gone on thus far, and the goals they have as they pursue their passion."

In addition to sharing the stories of these three students, Cat Footwear will be donating 500 pairs of shoes to students in the ThinkBIG program, host a giveaway for $300 to be used on CatFootwear.com and offer a student and teacher promotion during this campaign. For more information, please visit Cat Footwear and ThinkBig.