BASF’s TECH Academy introduces high school students to technical careers

Hamilton County High School students recently completed BASF’s TECH Academy – a weeklong educational and workforce development program hosted at Chattanooga State Community College in Tennessee. TECH Academy encourages students to learn more about technical and craft careers through experiments, demonstrations, field trips and dialogue with industry professionals.

“BASF’s TECH Academy creates great chemistry between participating Hamilton County school students, Chattanooga State and our local industry partners,” said Rob Gagliano, BASF Site Director in Chattanooga. “Our local manufacturing community opened their doors for the students to learn about craft careers and opportunities in industry.”

Following morning classroom instruction at Chattanooga State, the students participated in afternoon field trips that reinforced skills needed in technical disciplines. They learned both soft skills to use in the workplace and technical skills through hands-on activities in plant operations, general engineering practices, 3D printing and more.

“Chattanooga State is proud to partner with BASF and area employers to help introduce students early to the possibilities for exciting technical and craft careers,” said Lisa Jackson, Director of WACKER Institute at Chattanooga State. “Through TECH Academy, students are learning about the programs available at Chattanooga State and receiving real-world professional exposure through tours of companies in our region.”

Tours of area manufacturers and organizations included BASF’s site in Chattanooga as well as Roadtec, Gestamp, Westinghouse and Tennessee Valley Authority’s facilities.

Hixson High School seniors and twin sisters, Cora and Cassidy Yarborough, participated in TECH Academy together. “TECH Academy was a great way for us to bond and share skills together,” said Cora about attending the program alongside her sister. “It was a great way for us to receive exposure in many different fields we didn’t even know about.”

Cassidy is looking forward to using the skills she learned at TECH Academy as she graduates and decides her career path. “I think that TECH Academy gave me a broader view of career opportunities,” she said. “I can apply what I learned in class, like chemistry, as an opportunity to pursue engineering.” 

TECH Academy is part of BASF’s STEM education and workforce development efforts in North America to support industry growth and investment in the region. The program is funded annually by BASF and is free for students. The application process is open to any local student going into their junior or senior year of high school with interest in technical careers.

The following students completed TECH Academy 2019:

Name                                School

Christopher Boyd             East Ridge High School/PolyTech Academy
 
Angelo Cameron              The Howard School
 
Charles Decker                East Ridge High School/PolyTech Academy
 
Parker Davis                    Hixson High School
 
Preston Davis                  Hixson High School graduate
 
George Krich                   Red Bank High School
 
Jonathan McPhetridge    Red Bank High School
 
Eric Moore                      The Howard School/PolyTech Academy
 
Bryce Raper                    Hixson High School
 
Nathaniel Slough             East Ridge High School/PolyTech Academy
 
Cassidy Yarborough        Hixson High School
 
Cora Yarborough             Hixson High School

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For more information about BASF in Tennessee, visit www.basf.us/tennessee.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 20,000 employees in North America and had sales of $19.7 billion in 2018. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

About Chattanooga State Community College

Founded in 1965, Chattanooga State Community College is a comprehensive, public community college in the College System of Tennessee offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs preparing students for associate and associate of applied science degrees, technical and institutional certificates, transfer to four-year institutions, and immediate entrance into the job market. Home to the only fully embedded technical college on a Tennessee community college campus, the College consistently offers a high-quality education with an 18:1 student-to-teacher ratio, 98 percent job placement rate, and 98 percent licensure pass rate.

The College serves a six-county service area that includes Hamilton, Rhea, Sequatchie, Marion, Bledsoe and Grundy counties, the college also collaborates with businesses and industry to create and deploy customizable workforce training solutions.