-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueBox Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
Boost Your Sales
Every part of your business can be evaluated as a process, including your sales funnel. Optimizing your selling process requires a coordinated effort between marketing and sales. In this issue, industry experts in marketing and sales offer their best advice on how to boost your sales efforts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
STEM: The Future of Our Industry
January 22, 2019 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Facing a growing shortage of talented labor with which to fill the employment positions in America, IPC is working to help solve this problem. With over 4,400 members globally and chapters in almost every state, Colette Buscemi, senior director of IPC’s education programs, is encouraging IPC members to better engage pre-college and post-secondary college students at the local level. Barry Matties spoke with Colette about the educational programs IPC has put in place to invest in future generations, including the STEM program at this year’s IPC APEX EXPO, which has doubled in size from last year.
Barry Matties: You’re the senior director of the education program for IPC. First, tell me a little bit about your position and what you do.
Colette Buscemi: I was hired in January of 2018 to oversee IPC’s education programs targeting high school or pre-college students and postsecondary college students. We’re also looking at K–8 but in a slightly different way. The goal is to attract more students into the electronics industry generally, everything from engineers to operators and technicians.
Matties: I know you have a STEM program at IPC APEX EXPO. We’re proudly sponsoring that. Tell me a little bit about what the program and what people can expect.
Buscemi: We’re super excited about IPC APEX EXPO 2019. When I joined in January of 2018, within two weeks, I was at the show, and we had already set the foundation for what you’re going to see in 2019. Our goal is to get in 100 students from the local San Diego region. We’re going to provide them with a full day of activities beginning with a breakfast and a panel session of industry leaders who will be talking about careers in electronics. Then we’ll spend about an hour to an hour and a half with the students on the floor showcasing all the exhibition has to offer. We’ll also be giving the students an opportunity to have a hands-on experience with soldering. We’re bringing in some of our trainers to support us, so the students will have a good experience and exposure to what the purpose of a PCB is, how it’s designed, how they interact with it—everything from “that’s hot, don’t touch it,” to the basics and fundamentals.
The goal is to expose them to see, feel, touch, and experience what this industry is about, and there’s no better way to do that than getting them on the floor or putting tools in their hands so they can see how the equipment works. We’ll also be providing them with potential mentoring opportunities. We’re building that program as well. They’ll have a well-rounded day.
Matties: When you say mentoring opportunities, can you talk more about that?
Buscemi: When we talk with college students, one of the most important things they ask us for beyond courses is connections to the industry. We will have thousands of people at this event. We’re figuring out how we can start to build our mentoring program and use IPC APEX EXPO as the launching point. Whether it’s an open Q&A where we have some of our industry members present and talk to the students, or we do one-on-one “speed dating,” we’re in the process of building that program and welcome participation from our IPC industry members. We believe that 2019 and 2020 will be even better.
Matties: Last year was the inaugural STEM event with high school students. What feedback did you receive from students?
Buscemi: We received great feedback. They were all very excited to be there. In fact, we gave a scholarship to one of the schools, awarding $1,000 to Canyon Crest Academy and Preuss School to help fund STEM programs. We plan on repeating that this year. The students were really excited about the opportunity to get on the floor, and they were really impressed with what they saw. We took them through the booths of Panasonic and Nordson, and many of our members stepped up to the plate and took the time to have these students tour their booths. They loved it. The students enjoyed the opportunity to see this equipment and get a first-hand view of what was happening.
Matties: If you look at the climate today, we know how difficult it is to keep our supply of talent in the labor pool; I think it’s the most vital resource we have.
Buscemi: According to Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, it is estimated that in 2025, two million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled due to the skills gap. We need to fill those jobs and have a technically competent, skilled, knowledgeable workforce to do that. There are many things we need to do to attract the next generations of workers to our industry, and our efforts must start at an even younger level. That is why we are starting in high school because we know that’s the feeder point, but reaching further down into junior high school will probably be the next thing on our horizon. We are also reaching out to local community colleges and universities to provide technical training and scholarships for students interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing, and connecting students with IPC industry members locally.
To read the full article, which appeared in the December 2018 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Lockheed Martin Australia, The Department Of Defence Sign Strategic Partnership Head Contract
04/26/2024 | Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin Australia signed a landmark AUD$500 million contract with the Department of Defence to build Australia’s future Joint Air Battle Management System under project - AIR6500 Phase 1 (AIR6500-1).
SMC Korea 2024 to Highlight Semiconductor Materials Trends and Innovations on Industry’s Path to $1 Trillion
04/24/2024 | SEMIWith Korea a major consumer of semiconductor materials and advanced materials a key driver of innovation on the industry’s path to $1 trillion, industry leaders and experts will gather at SMC (Strategic Materials Conference) Korea 2024 on May 29 at the Suwon Convention Center in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea to provide insights into the latest materials developments and trends. Registration is open.
Elevating PCB Design Engineering With IPC Programs
04/24/2024 | Cory Blaylock, IPCIn a monumental stride for the electronics manufacturing industry, IPC has successfully championed the recognition of the PCB Design Engineer as an official occupation by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). This pivotal achievement not only underscores the critical role of PCB design engineers within the technology landscape, but also marks the beginning of a transformative journey toward nurturing a robust, skilled workforce ready to propel our industry into the future.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Going Vertical: SCHMID's Advanced Solutions for Printed Circuit Boards
04/24/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOEditor Marcy LaRont chats with Bob Ferguson, the president of SCHMID, about advanced solutions for PCBs and the equipment they are highlighting at this year's show. He delves into vertical no-touch handling systems and the prospect of achieving sub-10-micron lines. Inspired by SCHMID's technology, Bob expresses excitement about where the industry is today.
Big Win for Defense Production Act Budget Allocation in FY24 Budget
04/23/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamOne year ago, President Biden issued a determination that chips and packaging are critical for national security. Since that time, much work has been done to continue the conversation in Washington, elevating the importance of the entire chips value chain, and including printed circuit boards and substrates, without which chips cannot operate.