CNH Launches a Master’s Program for New Hire Employees at Wichita State University

CNH recently partnered with Wichita State University (WSU) to launch a master’s program for fifteen of its employees. The goal of the Construction Product Development North America Master's Program is to develop professional skillsets for technical activities with a focus on electrification, automation, and digitalization. These new hires will have the chance to experience at least three different roles, spending six months in each position.

CNH’s Human Resources Manager for Global and NA Corporate Functions, Marcela Pimenta, developed the program in North America last year in collaboration with WSU and CNH’s Construction Product Development team.

“Our goal was to attract the best talent in the market to have the opportunity to get to know about CNH and be part of the Master's Program. We worked hard for some months to find the best profiles to attend the program and successfully hired all of them by August 2023.”

These recent college graduates, from CASE Construction Equipment and New Holland Construction (both brands of CNH), will participate at the Wichita, Burlington, and Fargo sites over the next two years. Employees will enroll in semester-long programs in Electric Machines & Drives for Transportation, Data Science, Battery Systems and Control, and more. The rotation will expose employees to other departments from other regions, allowing them to ultimately pursue their individual career paths at CNH.

Pimenta believes the customer is at the heart of everything. And when customers win, the company wins.

“One of the greatest opportunities that the Master's Program offers is giving early career talent a choice to start their career with the proper foundation for supporting the customers’ needs and solving their challenges. It is an investment in our employee’s learning and development, and this turns our employees’ capabilities to perform better and provide more value to our business to Be The Best.”

Similar master’s programs have already been piloted with local universities in Brazil and Italy. Launching this new partnership in North America will provide more opportunities for employees to further their careers and develop their skills focused primarily on product development and product validation. The launching of programs like the one at WSU represent CNH’s commitment not only to educating the future of farming and building, but also in supporting the career journeys of its employees.