The Wacker Institute, a $5 million pilot plant and training facility at Chattanooga State Community College, opens its doors to the public next month. The community is invited to a grand opening celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 2-4 p.m. at 4325 Amnicola Highway.
Shorts, sandals, open-toed or high-heeled shoes should not be worn in the pilot plant. Guests are asked to wear comfortable walking shoes with solid, non-slippery soles.
Visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the Wacker Institute program of study at Chattanooga State Community College, view the pilot plant and take a guided tour through the facility.
“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 Polycilicon,” 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 photovoltaics industry, one of the fastest growing industries in the world.”
Local representatives from Wacker Polysilicon will be available to answer questions about working for the company, and will educate visitors on the technical production process.
“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.”
“This is a great opportunity for those interested in a career with a global technology leader in the chemical industry to learn more about Wacker Polysylicon,” said Dr. Burk. “It is one of our priorities to hire as many people from the Tennessee Valley as possible.”
The Wacker Institute is part of the engineering technology division at Chattanooga State Community College. The four main areas of study include chemical technology; chemical laboratory technology; mechanical technology; and electrical and instrumentation technology.
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.
For more information about the Wacker Institute, please visit www.chattanoogastate.edu/engineering/wacker/. For more information about Wacker, please visit www.wacker.com.