Every Bobcat employee started their career in the classroom – whether that was a traditional classroom or a hands-on training course. We are proud to support diverse STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs to foster positive growth in the communities where our employees, dealers and customers live and work. Ensuring a promising future for the compact equipment industry starts with strong educational opportunities that will build the next generation of innovators.
The foundation of Bobcat Company is built on innovation, which is why we strongly believe in supporting STEM-related education and research areas. These initiatives generate community progress and fuel the curiosity needed to build the technology of tomorrow. Programs like these contribute to the company’s continued growth and success.
We award multiple grants, facilitate hands-on activities in classrooms, host manufacturing facility tours/field trips and support scholarship programs to students at all educational levels — elementary, middle school, high school and college. Our efforts take place at schools located in and around our North American facilities.
One of the ways Bobcat Company contributes to STEM initiatives is through student growth programs. Employees facilitate hands-on activities and provide the inspirational spark for students to consider careers in STEM. Bobcat Company partners with local schools to host these events, where students learn STEM basics. These events have included understanding robotics, participating in computer simulations and learning about heat transfer and electrical circuit boards. Having the opportunity to engage with current Bobcat Company employees, students get to watch engineering come to life.
Tier 1: Grades 5-8, $1k Grant
* Hands on, classroom based STEM projects designed to engage students. Projects must be completed within the same academic year they are awarded.
Tier 2: Grades 5-12, $5k-$25k Grant
* Innovative STEM projects that enhance classroom learning or extracurricular activities, such as:
Specialized equipment or technology for STEM labs.
Development of new STEM curriculum units.
Field trips to STEM-related facilities or competitions.
Tier 3: High Schools & Districts, $25k-$150k Grant
* Large-scale initiatives that transform STEM education within a school or district, such as:
Renovation of STEM classrooms or labs
Development of new STEM career academies or CTE centers
Implementation of innovative STEM programs or initiatives
To ensure the future of the compact equipment industry, we believe it’s our responsibility to help develop the next generation of innovators. Our robust internship and co-op program provides college students hands-on experience across all functional areas of our business.
We partner with surrounding colleges and universities to bring students into our facilities to collaborate with Bobcat Company engineers and researchers on a variety of projects. These projects include exploring new product development, component testing and material characterization, while also working to improve manufacturing processes across the company’s global manufacturing facilities. Students can also participate in the Senior Design Project Sponsorship Program. Through this program, Bobcat Company fully sponsors students’ projects while Bobcat Company engineers mentor and coach them throughout the year. Students then present their final project before graduation to our senior engineering team, including our vice president of global engineering.
We fund multiple individual scholarships every year to students in area institutions. We make significant contributions to endowments that will provide sustainable funding to students long into the future.
