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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 137 6. IPC Education Foundation shines brighter each year. Congratulations to the Foundation team for again hosting its great two-day event with 550 San Diego-area high school students. Students learned how to solder, toured the show floor, met with exhibitors, and heard directly from engineers about careers in electronics manufacturing. During a panel discussion, a student asked how one gets a job without experience. The young engineers on the panel responded: start on the ground floor, show up every day, work hard, and say yes to new opportunities. Thanks to the many sponsors who made this event possible. 7. Speaking of young people… I was struck by the number of young attend- ees this year. IPC, through its Emerging Engineer and other mentoring programs, has helped introduce a new generation of industry leaders to standards development activities and industry initiatives to solve big challenges. Companies are leading the way as well. Summit Interconnect, for example, sent over 20 of its young professionals—a testa- ment to its commitment to its own workforce and the future of the industry. In this spirit, congratulations to IBM's Sarah Czaplewski- Campbell, TTM's Paige Fiet, and Blue Origin's Christina Trussell—all three of whom won this year's Rising Star Award. 8. A powerful EMS Leadership Summit. Zentech CEO Steve Pudles, who emceed the EMS Leadership Summit, asked first tim- ers to raise their hands. About two dozen hands went up—just the latest sign that the changes to IPC's EMS program are resonating with members. Kudos to IPC staff members Mark Wolfe and Tracy Riggan for a top-notch agenda with great speakers. I'm particularly keen to get my hands on slides presented by SMTC's Ed Smith during the supply chain ses- sion. His insights drew on his long experience working in the EMS and electronic compo- nents distribution industries. My top take- away: Lead times and costs appear to have stabilized and, in some areas, are coming down, but geopolitical and market volatility continue to pose challenges to electronics manufacturers. We all need to lean into the future but stay alert. 9. Dr. John W. Mitchell challenges companies to "fire their hiring practices." In his Wednesday keynote, John W. Mitchell urged the industry to rethink how it attracts top talent in a competitive job market and amidst generational shifts in workplace norms. He made many wonderful points— outlined in his forthcoming book Fire Your Hiring Habits—but two that stood out for me were: (1) embrace diversity in the workplace