Volkswagen's Chattanooga operations has established the Volkswagen Mechatronics Scholarship fund to support the students enrolled in the Volkswagen Mechatronics Akademie program.
The fund assets are managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, according to VW.
The Akademie is a workforce development initiative that features a partnership between the Hamilton County Department of Education, Chattanooga State Community College and VW.
The Chattanooga State portion of the program has a tuition component that many high school students are unprepared to meet. All of the Mechatronic Akadamie students qualified for and were awarded funds from the Volkswagen scholarship, which covers that aspect of their training.
The program features a curriculum for high school students, which allows them to complete their junior and senior years while earning more than 40 credit hours toward an associate degree in Mechatronics at Chattanooga State.
"The Mechatronics Akadamie is the perfect entrée to our post-high school programs in Mechatronics here at the factory and we felt that it was crucial for Volkswagen to support the reemergence of hands-on skills as a vital part of the educational options for students in the Tennessee Valley," said Scott Wilson, head of communications at VW in Chattanooga, in a statement.