Four engineers have joined Volkswagen Chattanooga as part of the company’s global Future Electronic Engineer Program.
They will participate in on-the-job training with Volkswagen experts in Wolfsburg, Germany, for six months to one year.
Nearly 100 engineers from around the world will participate in the three-year program and eventually will support the startup phase of the new generation of fully-electric vehicles. Two additional engineers are being sought to join the team.
Training for all participants will take place in Germany and be focused on four areas based on skill set and career interest (data management, automotive software engineer, automotive electronics engineer and initialization engineer).
“These team members will help to create the high-tech vehicles of tomorrow,” says Nicole Koesling, Volkswagen Chattanooga senior vice president – human resources. “We selected these people for this program because they have something in common with Volkswagen – they’re driven. Each of them will play a key role in our future.”
FEEP is a new training program initiated by the Volkswagen pilot hall in Wolfsburg. Plants in China, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and the US are participating.
“We’re looking for two more members for this team,” Koesling says. “The ideal candidate has the right education and skillset but has also designed or developed interesting projects in his or her spare time. We’re looking for the right soft skills, too; we want to hire team players who take responsibility for their own tasks and make connections with their colleagues.”
The first four team members hired for FEEP are Howard Aleshire, Phillip Brackett, Ramon Sandoval Plascencia and Bradley Romero. Traveling overseas will be a new experience for each of them.
Aleshire graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He grew up in Asheville, North Carolina.
Brackett is a native of nearby Cleveland. He graduated with a degree in engineering technology from Tennessee Tech University. Brackett is a graduate of the 2+2 program – a workforce development partnership between Tennessee Tech University, Volkswagen Chattanooga and Chattanooga State Community College. Brackett trained at the Volkswagen Academy and has been with the company since April 2011.
Plascencia grew up in Smyrna. He graduated from Tennessee Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
Romero spent most of his life in the Chicago area and moved to Collegedale in 2011. He is a graduate of Southern Adventist University and holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science embedded systems.
Those interested in applying may do so at www.vwjobschattanooga.com.
Candidates considered will have an advanced degree in electrical or computer engineering or computer science from December 2016 or later. Applicants should be flexible to travel internationally for an extended period.
Source: VW