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 this three-year program, and eventually will support the startup phase of the new generation of full-electric vehicles. Two additional engineers are currently being sought to join the team.
The Future Electronic Engineer Program will produce production experts for future-oriented positions. Training for all participants takes place in Germany, and will be focused on four main 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,” said Nicole Koesling, Volkswagen Chattanooga senior vice president human resources. “We selected these people for this program because they share something in common with Volkswagen—they are driven. Each of them will play a key role in our future.”
FEEP is a new training program, initiated by the Volkswagen brand pilot hall in Wolfsburg. Plants in China, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and the U.S. are participating.
“We are looking for two more members for this special team based in Chattanooga,” said Ms. Koesling. “The ideal candidate has the right education and skillset, but has also designed or developed interesting projects in their 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. We are urgently seeking these people and hope to have them on board soon.”
The first four team members hired for the Future Electronic Engineer Program are Howard Aleshire, Phillip Brackett, Ramon Sandoval Plascencia and Bradley Romero. Traveling overseas will be a new experience for each of them.
Mr. Aleshire graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. He grew up in Asheville, N.C.
“I’ve never seen a career like this one,” said Mr. Aleshire. “Electric and self-driving vehicles are the future of the automotive industry. That is very interesting to me. Plus the plant in Chattanooga is very nice. It’s a clean facility, everything runs so efficiently, it even smells nice—not what I expected of a manufacturing site. I’m very excited for this new experience.”
Mr. Brackett is a native of Cleveland. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology from Tennessee Tech University. Mr. Brackett is a graduate of the 2+2 program, which is a workforce development partnership between Tennessee Tech University, Volkswagen Chattanooga and Chattanooga State Community College. Mr. Brackett trained at the Volkswagen Academy, and has been with the company since April 2011.
“I really enjoy working with electrical systems,” said Mr. Brackett. “This opportunity was the perfect pathway to get me to the pilot hall, where we combine the manufacturing process and tools with vehicle parts. We have new vehicles coming, and that means new jobs—that’s good for all of us. I’m excited for this new experience and training.”
Mr. Sandoval Plascencia grew up in Smyrna, Tn. He graduated from Tennessee Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
“I had seen an article about Volkswagen’s vision for the future, and that’s what got me interested in the company,” said Mr. Sandoval Plascencia. “This opportunity was a chance to be part of this vision—to see it from the beginning and watch it grow. It was also a chance to stay local while being part of something that may change the world.”
Mr. 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.
“I grew up around cars with a family of mechanics,” said Mr. Romero. “I always knew I wanted to work in the automotive industry. I’m most looking forward to working overseas and learning from the experts. This opportunity is very exciting to me because I know I’ll be part of the future, part of the team that leads where this technology is going.”
“These team members will become light houses,” said Jan van Gerpen, senior manager in Volkswagen Chattanooga’s Pilot Hall in the electric/electronic area. “They will be certified top experts with Volkswagen, and will help us to be at the top of electric cars and new products. We need this expert level to run new programs as the amount of software increases dramatically.”
Those interested in applying may apply online: www.vwjobschattanooga.com
Candidates considered will have an advanced degree in electrical and/or computer engineering or computer science from December 2016 or later. Applicants should be flexible to travel internationally for an extended period.
Back row, from left, Michael Fetter, assistant manager Pilot Hall Launch; Andreas Graber, adv. specialist, UPS/Testing Systems; Jan van Gerpen, senior manager, Pilot Hall Electric/Electronic; Phillip Brackett, FEEP, vehicle analysis apecialist; Sergei Dzhuga, vehicle analysis specialist; and Justin Baugh, KSK/Bordnetztesting technician. Front row, from left, Svetlana Moskalenko, adv. specialist CFT Management; Ramon Sandoval Plascencia, FEEP, vehicle analysis specialist; Bradley Romero, FEEP, UPS/testing system specialist;
Howard Aleshire, FEEP, UPS/testing system specialist; Paulo Portela, director Pilot Hall; Steven Purcell, assistant manager, Pilot Hall Assembly; and Corinna Schmid, process operations specialist.