Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1185676
NOVEMBER 2019 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 25 Viter: I was recently involved in what was called a "speed-dating program" at the Oregon Institute of Technology (Wilsonville, Oregon). Teachers and manufacturers joined together, and you had about 5–10 minutes to sit with different educators to help them to better un- derstand our industry and how they might help students move in that direction starting in mid- dle school or high school. I spoke with a robot- ics teacher from Molalla, Oregon, and one of the things that was disappointing to hear was that she's trying to build the program, but only three girls wanted to join. How can we bring more enthusiasm to opportunities like that and open it up for girls who are growing up and looking for industries to join? Johnson: It's unfortunate that we have to have these conversations. Viter: Exactly, but it is a fact of life. We want to show what's available out there for everyone. Manufacturing and these technical positions are real career options and a wonderful oppor- tunity for all walks of life. Johnson: Talking with people around the in- dustry over the past year or so about staffing issues, there's a real age and knowledge gap, which has many in our industry worried. Now, we're trying to ensure that experience and wis- dom are passed down. How is Sunstone tack- ling that challenge? Viter: We have found that some of the newer people coming fresh out of high school haven't decided on a career for themselves yet, but they need money. They seem to be very fis- cally responsible, and we have seen amazing work ethics from these folks; they also seem to be more relational, which is a big part of what makes them feel satisfied. They come in for a job and stay because they see the poten- tial of a career in this circuit board industry, whether it's in marketing, quality assurance, process engineering, chemical analysis, CAD and engineering, environmental management, or even accounting or human resources. It's all here! Related to that, we re- cently got our ISO cer- tification. The natural inclination is to want to steer the auditor toward experienced people and not let them talk to the newbies (laughs). We found that some of the newer folks on a project were some of the best champions for speaking to auditors. I bring that up as an example be- cause it's different than what you would ex- pect and a pleasant surprise. Kuretich: To add to that, some people in our workforce are starting to think about retire- ment, so we have been doing exercises through that ISO process to capture and document that experience and knowledge; it's been on our to- do list for quite a while, and ISO gave us a tool to start that process. There's a lot of "tribal" knowledge with our employees, and we want to make sure to capture and elevate the new people coming in so that it's not as painful when others leave. Viter: I would imagine that you hear stories like this throughout the circuit board industry. There's a tremendous amount of tribal knowl- edge, and unfortunately, some things are not documented easily. It's almost an artisan craft (laughs) for some of the processes. Kuretich: Yes, there are so many variables. Viter: It's hard to document every one of those things. You have to pass on the craft, almost like a family business. Johnson: Your point is well made. You can cer- tainly look at the specifications and follow a recipe in the kitchen, but we all learn through experience exactly what "golden brown" means in any given recipe. Viter: Exactly. We try to take out as much of the variability as we can in the process with Nancy Viter