U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia this week checked out apprenticeship efforts at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga assembly plant, calling them “absolutely” a model other companies can use.
“The concern I hear most frequently from businesses is finding a skilled workforce,” he said. “Increasingly, we see companies need to find a way to provide training themselves.”
Scalia, in a telephone interview after his Friday visit to the plant where VW has put into place a variety of coronavirus protocols, cited the company’s partnerships with Chattanooga State Community College, Hamilton County Schools and other entities.
“From what I saw today, the Volkswagen plant has done a very good job of that,” he said.
Scalia, who was appointed labor secretary in September 2019, said young people in the apprenticeship program at VW have a chance to “earn while you learn.”