Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1080843
14 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2019 programs to get middle and high school students excited about STEM subjects and make them more familiar with career op- portunities in the electronics industry. 4. IPC Education Foundation: Make a com- mitment to contribute financially to the IPC Education Foundation, which will pro- vide scholarships to deserving students. 5. IPC Certified Workforce: Adopt the IPC certification framework in your company to upskill existing workers and provide pathways for professional growth. IPC members that commit to at least three of these activities will join us as IPC Workforce Champions, strengthening both their own rep- utations and IPC's reputation as world lead- ers on education and workforce issues. As IPC drives this campaign through education, work- force, and government relations efforts, we will highlight the members joining this campaign as companies leading the way to address the critical issue of the skills gap in the electronics industry. As IPC is a global association supporting a global supply chain, IPC has committed to provide education, training, and career oppor- tunities to more than 500,000 Europeans over the next five years. Stay tuned for the official launch of our IPC workforce pledge for Europe in just a few weeks! To our members in the U.S, come join us. Let's change the future for the next generation of manufacturing employees. Accept the chal- lenge to build a strong, competitive workforce together. PCB007 John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries. To read past columns or contact Mitchell, click here. After almost 50 years in the PCB industry, Burkle North America's David Howard has chosen to take a well-earned retirement this year. In this video interview, Pete Starkey is introduced to his worthy succes- sor, Kurt Palmer, vice president of Burkle's North American Electronic Product Group. Palmer has extensive leadership experience in the PCB in- dustry, originally operating Tapco Cir- cuit Supply in Chicago before joining forces with TCT Circuit Supply in 2015. Click on the image to watch video. Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2019: A Conversation with Burkle's Kurt Palmer and David Howard