By Gregg Wartgow, Special to AEM —
Modern agriculture equipment isn’t what it used to be, nor are the skillsets employees must possess if manufacturers want to continue thriving into the future.
“We’re always asking ourselves how we can better develop and equip our employees with the skills needed for their roles today, as well as tomorrow,” said Lori Goldberg, vice president of global talent solutions at AEM member company AGCO.
A new workforce development initiative is helping answer that question.
AGCO’s CATALYST Rotational Program provides full-time employment to post-graduate students around the globe. Those embarking on their new careers receive more than just a full-time job, though. CATALYST employees know they will also be embarking on an extended journey of professional development.
“Talent management can’t just be about what an employee can give to your company,” Goldberg said. “It also has to be about what you can give back to the employee. Our CATALYST employees have the education and core skills our company needs on day one. Once they’re here, we want to keep filling up their personal toolkits with other essential skills they need to become seasoned professionals.”
AGCO’S CATALYST program, which launched in January 2023, provides everything from on-the-job technical training and mentoring to networking and leadership development. It’s all geared toward attracting the right talent to the organization, and ultimately setting that talent up for success within an evolving company and industry.
“My team talks a lot about AGCO’s vision of being the trusted partner for industry-leading, smart farming solutions and its implications on talent,” Goldberg said. “For example, we need people who understand new technologies like AI and can function as data scientists. At the same time, AGCO remains very dedicated to its farmer-focused strategy, so skills like customer service are of utmost importance. We want people who understand the farmer and can speak their language.”
Taking all of that into consideration, Goldberg’s team identified a series of workforce development tracks to help ensure that AGCO employees have the skills needed to support AGCO’s growth strategy. Those tracks are:
- Design Engineering
- Software Engineering
- IT
- Data Analytics
- Customer Support
- Sales & Marketing
Once those skillset-driven tracks were identified, Goldberg’s team started to think about whom it wanted to recruit into the CATALYST program.
“We realized that if we could connect with talent when they’re just coming out of college, and show how we’re actually willing to invest in them, we could differentiate ourselves as an employer,” Goldberg said, adding that differentiation is extremely important today since ag equipment manufacturers are also competing with the likes of Apple, Amazon and Google for the same types of employee skills.
Thus far, the CATALYST program is making a huge difference. Goldberg said AGCO has been receiving more applications than it has positions available. Additionally, nearly all CATALYST employees have decided to stay with the company after their CATALYST track has ended. By every measure, CATALYST has been a success.
The AEM Manufacturing Express, the largest public engagement in the association’s 130-year history, is proud to make a stop at AGCO on Thursday, Aug 22. For more information and to follow along with the tour, visit manufacturingexpress.org.
“Talent management can’t just be about what an employee can give to your company. It also has to be about what you can give back to the employee. Our CATALYST employees have the education and core skills our company needs on day one. Once they’re here, we want to keep filling up their personal toolkits with other essential skills they need to become seasoned professionals.” -- AGCO's Lori Goldberg
How CATALYST Works
Each Catalyst track lasts either 12 or 18 months, depending on the skill area. Over the course of that time, CATALYST employees rotate through up to three 6-month projects.
“The projects our CATALYST employees work on are mission-critical efforts, so they begin having a direct impact on our business right away,” Goldberg pointed out. For example, employees in the Design Engineering track have helped develop new components and ways to go about manufacturing those components. “Another recent rotation in our Data Analytics track had employees create AI-generated responses for when farmers or dealers call AGCO with equipment issues,” Goldberg said.
While working on consequential projects like those, CATALYST employees simultaneously go through various training sessions on things like networking, presentation skills, leadership, and other areas of professional development. It’s an action-packed 12-18 months, to say the least, as well as a period of exceptional personal growth for CATALYST employees.
“We also create opportunities for CATALYST employees to connect with mentors who can help answer questions and mold them,” Goldberg said. “Within a year and a half of graduating college, a CATALYST employee can be well along in their professional development. That is our goal.”
A Catalyst for Recruitment, Development, and Retention
Upon successful completion of their track, CATALYST employees are offered an opportunity to continue their full-time employment at AGCO. Goldberg said nearly all have accepted that opportunity. In other words, not only is the CATALYST program proving to be an effective way to recruit and develop new talent, but also hang onto that talent.
AGCO launched its first group of 15 CATALYST employees in January 2023, which just completed its program earlier this summer. AGCO is now recruiting the fifth group for a January 2025 start, and representatives are reaching out to universities and other post-secondary educational institutions.
“We’re obviously looking for students enrolled in certain programs that align with the six key skillset areas we’ve defined in the CATALYST program,” Goldberg said. “We’re also looking for students with more of a long-term growth and development mindset. We like students who are receptive to continuous learning and trying new things. We have to remind ourselves that they are just getting out of college. So, to us, it’s as much about ‘how’ they show up to work every day as it is about what they already know when they get there.”
“How” an employee shows up to work is also partly up to the employer, which is something AGCO recognized early on when developing its CATALYST program. As Goldberg mentioned earlier, a reciprocal relationship where employer and employee add value to each other is an important element of building a modern workforce.
“A large segment of today’s workforce didn’t grow up on a farm, so they may not feel like a career with a farm equipment manufacturer can be for them,” Goldberg said. “That’s not the case. Part of our message is introducing the future of agriculture and how the AGCO business strategy is built around that future. AGCO’s underlying purpose is to help feed the world. That is powerful. And it’s that kind of purpose that can help set you apart as an employer.”
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