Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1501483
JUNE 2023 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 23 Yes, many of these approaches apply, but each country is slightly different. For instance, in Germany, there's a fantastic hybrid educa- tion system developing a pipeline of talent. You learn and work in companies at the same time. e Fraunhofer-Gesellscha Institute has done a fantastic job in working in differ- ent aspects of the industry to develop groups and individuals to support that. ey have set up a pipeline that doesn't exist here in the United States at all. China has a feeder system for production work, an area where North America is lacking in terms of developing a pipeline. e book talks about how we can address that. IPC has been work- ing through the IPC Education Foundation to develop our pipelines for the industry here and across the globe. It's not just about devel- oping that talent, either. ere are worldwide challenges, such as energy needs, finding the right location, and so forth. It's a mixed bag depending on where you go. Well, good. Again, congratulations on this book. It's extremely timely and no doubt will be well received. Do you have any final thoughts that you'd like to share with industry? e electronics industry has always struggled with closing the skills gap, finding the peo- ple who are prepared, and ready to do the job that we need. Maybe it's time to give up on that hope, recognize we need to hire for the fundamental skills, and build the rest inter- nally as we go. That's a good thought to ponder. John, I certainly appreciate your time. Always a pleasure. PCB007 Fire Your Hiring Habits, by Dr. John W. Mitchell, is officially released on June 20 and is available on Amazon. Proceeds will benefit the IPC Education Foundation. Mexico and IPC on the Move There's a saying that highly successful people have three things in common: motivation, ability, and opportunity. The same can be said for elec- tronics manufacturing and assembly in Mexico: We have the motivation, the ability, and the unique opportunity to take this industry to the next level. For many years, Mexican companies have reli- ably produced various products for global mar- kets, and together with more recent investments in homegrown talent, have positioned Mexican manufacturing to take advantage of recent shifts in global supply chains and consumer markets. Similarly, IPC has a long history with Mexican companies, providing standards and certifica- tion to a largely labor-based workforce. There are nearly 140 IPC member companies with facilities in Mexico. As the electronics industry grew in Mexico, IPC recognized it must train and certify not only labor- intensive roles, but the more technical roles, such as inspection, design, and engineering. In early 2020, immediately prior to the global COVID pan- demic, IPC personnel traveled to Mexico and met with numerous companies in our industry. To read the rest of this article, which appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of IPC Community, click here. (Source: Lorena Villanueva, Director, IPC Mexico)