At a ribbon-cutting ceremony held February 8, local officials joined Chattanooga State Community College and Wacker Polysilicon to inaugurate the Wacker Institute. “The concept of the Wacker Institute is a pioneering and innovative learning experience that both Chattanooga State and Wacker jointly feel is consistent and symbolic of the principle of investing in a sustainable future,” said Dr. Ingomar Kovar, president and CEO of Wacker Chemical Corp. “While we might be hard-pressed to understand what the future might hold, it is always the present world in which we live where the future is created.”
The Wacker Institute — a $5 million pilot plant and training facility — is part of the engineering technology division at Chattanooga State Community College.
“At the Wacker Institute, students will be equipped with the skills necessary for a successful career in one of the world’s most exciting and important industries,” said Dr. Konrad Bachhuber, vice-president and site manager for Wacker Polysilicon in Charleston, Tenn. “Our excellence in polysilicon technology is deeply rooted, based on over half a century of experience on this front. The Wacker Institute will provide to us a pipeline of highly skilled workers who will serve Wacker and our customers well for many years to come.”
“This is truly a state-of-the-art training facility with world-class science labs. It’s a one-of-a-kind program we are pleased to deliver for Wacker Polysilicon,” said Chattanooga State Community College President Dr. Jim Catanzaro. “As a leader in technology education, we maintain a continuous commitment to excellence — the Wacker Institute enables us to provide a unique learning experience to prepare our students for a career in the growing photovoltaic industry, one of the fastest growing industries in the world.”
“We need a very sophisticated workforce at our plant; this is a highly technical production process,” said Dr. Erika Burk, Wacker Polysilicon’s director of human resources. “We developed a partnership with Chattanooga State to form a program that will ensure our future employees are fully trained and ready to work when our plant begins operation next year.”
Other technology programs will be housed in the Wacker Institute, a 25,000-square-foot facility located in the former Olan Mills building adjacent to Chattanooga State Community College.
Wacker Institute programs of study include an A.A.S. in engineering technology, with a concentration in chemical engineering technology (areas of emphasis: process operator technology and laboratory technology) and an A.A.S. in industrial systems engineering technology with a concentration in electromechanical technology (areas of emphasis: electronics and instrumentation, and mechanical systems). Students may also earn embedded certificates in process operator technology (24 semester credit hours), advanced process technology (17 semester credit hours) and chemical laboratory technology (22 semester credit hours).
Information sessions will be held at the Wacker Institute beginning Feb. 15 and recurring every Wednesday from noon until 1 p.m., and Thursday from 5-6 p.m., in the Resource Room. These sessions will be held every week until April 23. Due to the limited number of seats, attendees are asked to RSVP to Deanna Swiney at (423) 697-2601.
Source: Wacker Institute