How To Get A Job At Volkswagen's Chattanooga Plant

Volkswagen plans to hire about 2,000 people to work at its new Chattanooga plant, but "when" remains a top question.

The company confirms a job fair will be held this fall and the public will be notified through WDEF News 12 and other media sources.

At the Tennessee Career Center at Chattanooga, the sign at the front door says its all. "No applications for VW Plant." Questions keep pouring into the Career Center and other employment recruiters about how to get a job at Volkswagen. "They've asked that anyone wanting to work for the company, Volkswagen, to have patience," says Andrea Witt, Career Center Coordinator.

Volkswagen's own career center website features a few job postings relating to plant construction. The automaker continues to review staffing numbers necessary to run the plant and the skill sets needed to work there. Witt says "Volkswagen is committed to putting out a wide network to obtain top employees, they'll be working with the community and local media to get this information out to the public."

In Georgia, where Kia plans to open a plant late next year, the company began accepting applications in January and offering positions in April, nearly a year and a half before production begins. Volkswagen's timetable remains undetermined, but Mayor Ron Littlefield says "the company is on an aggressive schedule, they want to be pouring concrete this fall."

Since the application process wont begin for a while, Witt recommends getting your house in order now. That means take advantage of this downtime to boost your education level. "Those that do not have their GED's, probably want to work on those," says Witt.

Still, good paying manufacturing jobs remain available in Chattanooga right now. Mark Campbell, who owns Manpower, an employee recruiter, says "if your looking for a job, we have openings right now especially for assemblers and manufacturing capabilities."

Campbell says when Volkswagen starts hiring, the employment base will shift as people upgrade positions or transition from the service sector. In both cases, those existing jobs will also need filled.

Here's a link to Volkswagen's Tennessee jobs website

Here's a link to local jobs being advertised through Manpower

Also, visit our new VW section for Volkswagen updates: