Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1313710
DECEMBER 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 13 pany to a larger company or help a smaller company grow. They use a soldering iron or a hot air gun after reflow or AOI, and they do small touch-ups and repairs, or they sol- der through-hole components. It's a skill set that's needed to be able to produce a product. They get to know the company and product and develop relationships there, which leads to higher roles on the SMT or AOI lines as opera- tors. We have one student who runs AOI, pick- and-place, and stencil print all on one line. We have students who are progressing into more box build testing and becoming quality super- visors too. Most of these companies are extremely happy to get someone who knows how to do soldering without any upfront training. We provide the training in the first year of the pro- gram, and then they get hired into the com- pany, and they're able to "hit the ground run- ning." We teach them the do's and don'ts. We show them what happens when you leave the hot air pen on the board for too long. You burn the board and pads, and it smells really bad. At that point, it's a damaged product, and you can't do anything very easily with it. We detail lead solder processing versus lead-free solder processing. We train them in industry-relevant skills that will help get them jobs with mini- mal training at the company when they first get hired. Sure, they make mistakes in college, no one is perfect at first, but when they get to the com- pany, they have experience that they received through training. We've had some students get hired at companies that normally take two to three months of training before they can do any processing. But after going through our program, in less than a day, they are on the floor producing and helping the company make products. They stay in the business. This model has worked well. Dan Feinberg: They need to realize that no matter what the job is, when they start their career, they're at the bottom. And there's noth- ing wrong with that because we all start at the bottom. But on the second day, they're no lon- ger on the bottom. Vanderford: This is one of the hardest things to talk to students about because every student coming out of high school wants to make an impact. A lot of them think, "I can make an impact by working at a higher-level job and making a big salary." That's not how most companies work. We tell students, "You're not going to get hired for a managerial position. You need to build a relationship with that com- pany and the product." Tenhover: We know that not every employer is able to hire students. In defining our employer partners, we invite employers to be a part of the design of the program and provide feedback on the curriculum because we want them at the table from day one. When they are ready to hire some- one, they've been a part of the process the whole time. That has been really help- ful in engaging employers. We want them at the table, even if they can't hire an intern. College is expensive any way you look at it, but our community college price is on the lower end. For a full- time student, our bachelor's degree in micro- electronics manufacturing costs $3,800 per year. That's $1,900 every semester, which is one of the lowest-cost bachelor's degrees in Ohio. Our product is our students. In the end, the companies that hire our graduates are our customers. Feinberg: Not only are they the customers, but the people who buy their products are your customers, too. Vanderford: Exactly. Feinberg: Do you see any effect of the move- ment out of China and, in some cases, back to the U.S. for manufacturing? Vanderford: As we approach this situation, we look at companies that are increasing their Courtney Tenhover