In celebration of Manufacturing Month in Tennessee, Volkswagen Chattanooga opened its doors to more than 120 students, manufacturers, elected officials and local manufacturers associations. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee addressed attendees to speak about the importance of manufacturing to Tennessee’s economy.
Volkswagen Chattanooga’s new head of human resources, Burkhard Ulrich, welcomed attendees to the facility.
He spoke about workforce development.
“A key factor of success in any factory is the skilled workforce in the community,” said Mr. Ulrich. “I strongly believe that the seeds of success are in career and technical education, where challenging academics and demanding technical education are brought together.”
The director of the Tennessee Manufacturers Association, Denise Rice, provided an overview of manufacturing in Tennessee and the need for a skilled workforce.
“84 percent of Tennessee businesses cite staffing and workforce as the number one issue,” said Ms. Rice. “Manufacturing Month is a way for us to purposely and intentionally change that by changing negative perceptions around manufacturing.”
According to the Tennessee Manufacturers Association, there are more than 350,000 people presently working at 5,100 manufacturing facilities in Tennessee.