Staff Photo by Dan Henry Construction continues on the Volkswagen manufacturing plant and paint shop at Enterprise South on Tuesday.

Volkswagen’s work force at its Chattanooga auto assembly plant will mirror the area’s diversity, the company’s local human resources chief says.

Also, VW is looking for workers who can thrive in a participatory and innovative environment, said Hans-Herbert Jagla, executive vice president of human resources for VW’s Chattanooga operations.

“We want continuous improvement thinking,” said Mr. Jagla in an interview at Volkswagen’s Chestnut Street offices downtown.

The German automaker is ramping up hiring as it plans to employ what’s now likely to be more than 2,000 people at its Chattanooga auto assembly plant.

Frank Fischer, the Chattanooga operation’s chief executive, said the car maker is still looking for salaried workers, and will continue to hire those employees in 2009. VW is expected to hire its 100th employee by the end of this month.

Production workers will be able to apply online or at Tennessee Career Centers starting in late fall with hiring to begin in early 2010, Mr. Fischer said. Production at the $1 billion plant is to start in early 2011.

HIRING PROCESS

Mr. Jagla said there’s a multi-step hiring process for production workers. He said pre-screening for an applicant’s qualifications and experience will take place first.

That will be followed by on-site testing and assessment that includes a computer-based test and physical manufacturing simulation. Then, there’s an interview with VW managers.

After that, there’s a conditional offer, a physical exam and drug screening, pre-hiring training and then a job offer, according to VW.

In terms of education, the more the better though college isn’t required for production workers, Mr. Jagla said.

The more than 100,000 applications VW expects to receive is twice the number that sought jobs at the launch of an assembly plant that Mr. Jagla witnessed in Portugal.

“We want to treat all the people fairly,” he said. “We’re setting up a detailed system.”

Concerning work force diversity, Mr. Jagla said it will contribute to VW’s success.

“We need people of different thinking,” he said. The company has not set any specific numerical minority targets when it comes to its local work force.

Mr. Jagla said VW is drawing on the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development as well as a private firm, Development Dimensions International, in its hiring effort. DDI, headquartered near Pittsburgh, bills itself as a global human resources consulting firm with 75 offices in 26 countries.

“It is experienced with launches and work with other original equipment manufacturers,” Mr. Jagla said.

Local workers

He said plans are to hire local workers when VW can.

“It’s important to hire local,” Mr. Jagla said, noting VW in part decided to put its American auto assembly plant in Chattanooga because of the area’s manufacturing work force heritage. “There’s no excuse to go anywhere.”

One of VW’s biggest projects is the startup of the Volkswagen Academy Training Center, which it is gearing up in partnership with Chattanooga State Technical Community College.

“It will be a best-in-class training center,” Mr. Jagla said. “We’ll train our work force and it will be for suppliers.”

Mr. Jagla declined to talk about wages now. However, it’s expected the company will be competitive with other foreign car makers in the South. BMW in Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., pays up to $26 an hour for its most experienced production workers.

Mr. Jagla said the historically high unemployment numbers the area and nation are experiencing aren’t something that will necessarily benefit the company.

“We think enough people will apply,” he said. “We’re still most attractive.”

Asked whether the plant will unionize, Mr. Jagla said that depends on the workers, noting VW has facilities which are organized and others which aren’t.

“It’s not a management decision,” he said.