ROCKFORD, MI -- Cat® Footwear announced the return of its Back to Construction School program for 2024. This marks the second year of their partnership with Caterpillar Inc.’s ThinkBIG  program, where together they celebrate and support students pursuing careers in the trades.

“With a shortage of students opting for careers in construction, our partnership with Caterpillar Inc.'s ThinkBIG program is essential to our team’s mission of helping bridge this gap,” said Dit Vannouvong, Senior Director of Marketing at Cat Footwear. “Through this program our teams are proud to uplift, inspire, and educate the next generation of students pursuing careers in skilled trades.”

Cat Footwear is expanding on last year’s Back to Construction School program by spotlighting five more exceptional students from the ThinkBIG program to inspire others joining the trades. New this year, during the month of August, Cat Footwear will be donating 5 percent of sales from every Colorado Equip sale on Catfootwear.com to the ThinkBIG Caterpillar Technician Academy to further support students entering the trades.

This year's student spotlights include:

Aurelio Resa – who will be beginning ThinkBIG program this fall

Cale Mouser - SkillsUSA National Diesel Engine competition winner

Justan Beach - recent graduate from the ThinkBIG program in May with a 4.0 GPA.

Brianna Fizer – second year student in the ThinkBIG program

Noah Aweau – second year student in the ThinkBIG program

These students have demonstrated excellence in their field, and Cat Footwear is proud to amplify their stories on a national scale via its social channels with the goal of providing real-life stories and visuals to other students debating careers in a trade field.

Additionally, the brand will be hosting a Signing Day event with national retailer, WSS, on August 13th at the ThinkBIG student orientation to celebrate and honor the first-year students at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA. This event will celebrate local students from Holt, Quinn Peterson and Hawthorne Cat Dealerships who have chosen to pursue careers in the skilled trades.

To learn more about Cat Footwear's Back to Construction School Campaign you can visit catfootwear.com and follow on Instagram: @catfootwear