Work is slated to finish in mid-December on Volkswagen’s $40 million training center as 160 people man two shifts on the building, officials said today.

“We’re pushing as hard as we can to get this completed,” said Chattanooga public works administrator Steve Leach.

While the shell of the training center is basically complete, the fit-out work on the inside is underway, he told the city’s Industrial Development Board.

The panel today approved the purchase of training equipment that will go into the structure, including lathes, drill presses, and computer numerical controlled devices.

“Training is an ongoing thing,” said board Chairman Ted Mills.

After construction of the training center is finished, equipment will be installed into the facility to make way for production workers.

Through Nov. 15, VW is taking applications for the 1,200 production workers it will hire for the plant that’s slated to open in early 2011. The first production workers will be hired in the first quarter of 2010, according to VW.