

What is Skill Up 26?
An accelerated opportunity for professional growth and development of technical skills and knowledge through mentorship, instructor-led and computer-based learning, and on-the-job training for new and experienced technicians.
How It Works:
Each trainee is required to participate in the Skill Up 26 program. Trainees will move through the program with a cohort of trainees for 26 weeks, following an outlined training schedule. Trainees will complete hands-on training as guided by their mentor(s) who will evaluate them on a weekly basis. To ensure progress, trainees will also be evaluated by their direct supervisor at 12 weeks and 24 weeks. Upon completion of the program and all of its’ requirements, trainees will immediately be eligible for promotion within Louisiana Cat.
1. Complete your application for ThinkBIG at LouisianaCat.com/Careers, applications are accepted online January through May for enrollment in the fall semester.
2. Once your online application is received, Louisiana Cat will contact you to complete the full ThinkBIG application, which includes:
- 2 Letters of recommendation (from Instructors, Mentors, and/or Employers)
- Copy of high school transcripts
- ACT or ACCUPLACER Scores
- Overall Minimum GPA of 2.0
3. If you meet the program pre-requisites, Louisiana Cat will contact you for further testing in the areas of mechanical aptitude, basic math, verbal, and communication skills, and computer literacy. You will also complete a general personality inventory. Based on the assessment results, Louisiana Cat will contact the top candidates and schedule interviews.
4. The interview team from Louisiana Cat will review all completed application packets and test results. Top candidates will be selected for interviews. Interviews will take place between March and May.
5. Once all interviews have been completed, Louisiana Cat will select the students approved for a paid summer internship with Louisiana Cat. This internship will start June 1st and end July 31st. You will be required to pass a drug screen, criminal background check, and social security verification.
6. Final selection of ThinkBIG students will be based on a combination of all test results, interview scores and performance during internship. Selected students will be notified in July and classes begin in October.