Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1487920
32 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2022 Shaughnessy: I understand that you made some improvements to the design classes this year. Tell me about that. Plaza: Improvement is an integral part of our process. Ultimately, we want our curriculum to help designers and engineers do their jobs more effectively. To achieve that goal, we make a point of fol- lowing up with course partici- pants about their experience and meet with subject matter experts to identify topic areas of interest to industry professionals. e information obtained from these conversa- tions, as well as the feedback obtained from our end-of-course surveys, are then used to update content and tailor the delivery of each course on a regular basis. Recent improvements, for example, have ranged from tweaking class start- ing times to adding new modules that address emerging technologies and methods. Shaughnessy: You're in touch with a lot of these designers and design engineers. What are their biggest challenges right now? Plaza: At an organizational level, the retire- ment of large numbers of baby boomers poses an ongoing challenge. From now until 2030, approximately 10,000 boomers will retire every day. e pandemic exacerbated this pattern, as many older workers decided to retire early rather than risk infec- tion. is unprecedented brain drain means that organizations are forced to constantly onboard new workers and upskill new and current staff members to both preserve decades of institutional knowledge and keep up with the lightning-fast pace of technologi- cal innovations, not to mention the concomitant evolution of industry standards and customer requirements. e shortage of skilled candi- dates also means that many current staff mem- bers are being asked to quickly learn new skills to fill the breach. Shaughnessy: Why should PCB design- ers attend IPC APEX EXPO and take some courses? Plaza: e Professional Development program brings together the most experienced indus- try experts in every area of PCB design. It's the ideal opportunity to learn from those who have already made the big mistakes and devel- oped processes that will help you maximize your effectiveness and efficiency. Shaughnessy: anks, Carlos. Plaza: ank you, Andy. DESIGN007 Carlos Plaza