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42 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2023 greater likelihood that individuals will choose to pursue a career in the industry. at is another path for industry to seek greater gov- ernment partnership; it's more decentralized but, collectively, it could be meaningful. Something I noticed about the Calumet news was state involvement as well, not just federal. Mitchell: Companies need to be exploring more options, and IPC is committed to work- ing with companies to do so. But how big is that opportunity? Obviously, the Calumet project was very forward leaning, and very much connected to the focus on the semi- conductor industry. It remains to be seen whether that same kind of support can be lev- eraged for the broader electronics industrial base. Referring to your comments about appren- ticeship programs, though, when I talk to peo- ple with expertise in workforce development, they're reporting that a number of states had money allocated for apprenticeship programs that went unclaimed. Mitchell: Absolutely. The money is flow- ing down from the federal government to the states and localities. Generally speak ing , this funding is undersubscribed. With these apprenticeship programs now in place, we can better make use of that money and build our workforce. at's huge, and it will be a great contribution to the future of the industry in the United States. Do you have any final thoughts? Mitchell: e $52 billion CHIPS Act is focused principally on the semiconductor industry, but it has created context and space for the PCB and EMS industries to challenge govern- ment leaders to understand the breadth and strategic importance of the broader electron- ics manufacturing supply chain. I'm hopeful that, in the end, the CHIPS Act is not just about building mansions on stilts; if we're building the most cutting-edge semiconduc- tor chips in the world, let's make sure that we can fabricate and place them on the PCBs. ese PCBs are the foundation for electronics. at's a real challenge for the United States and elsewhere. Chris and Rich, thank you for the insight. Mitchell: You're welcome. SMT007