Cummins Inc. is bringing a global program to a Memphis high school, marking a first for the company.
Cummins currently has 22 Technical Education for Communities [TEC] sites around the globe, though none are currently located within the U.S. But, on Thursday, that will change as the company and its more than 10 local partners sign a Memorandum of Understanding to mark the official launch of the initiative at T-STEM Academy East High School. The program will begin in August.
TEC targets the technical skills gap through vocational education programs; in Memphis, the program will focus on developing future diesel technicians.
Cummins’ Memphis partners are FedEx Freight, Tri-State Truck Center, Penske Truck Leasing, TAG Truck Center, Peterbilt Truck Centers, Ozark Motor Lines Inc., General Truck Sales and Service Inc., University of Memphis, the Memphis Area Transit Authority, Summit Truck Group and T-STEM Academy East High School.
“Building on our company’s rich history of corporate responsibility, Cummins and the Cummins Foundation are addressing the technical skills gap through vocational programs,” Jenny Bush, vice president of Cummins Sales and Service North America, said in a release. “Through this partnership, uniting our TEC: Technical Education for Communities program with local communities here in Memphis, we are able to teach students industry-relevant technical skills that will help our communities thrive now and in the future.”
According to MBJ research, Cummins has 1,834 local, full-time employees. The company designs, manufactures, sells and services diesel and alternative fuel engines, diesel and alternative-fueled electrical generator sets, and related components and technology.
