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18 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2025 Building the Workforce of Tomorrow With EMAC As the electronics manufacturing industr y races to meet rising global demand and tech- nological complexity, the need for a highly skilled, future-ready workforce has never been greater. At the forefront of addressing this challenge is e Electronics Manufac- turing & Assembly Collaborative (EMAC)— a national initiative dedicated to strengthen- ing the talent pipeline through strategic col- laboration with SMTA, education, and gov- ernment stakeholders. In this exclusive interview, Carter Severin- son, EMAC program manager, and Tara Dunn, SMTA director of training and education, dis- cuss EMAC's mission and collaboration with The Knowledge Base by Mike Konrad, SMTA SMTA, educational institutions, and other industry groups. ey explore how EMAC is reshaping workforce development for elec- tronics assembly, from hands-on training pro- grams to curriculum development and indus- try partnerships. EMAC is not just filling jobs— it's building careers, empowering communities, and helping manufacturers thrive in a competi- tive global market. What is EMAC's core mission, and what specific workforce challenges in the electronics manu- facturing industry is it designed to address? Carter Severinson: At its core, EMAC exists to solve a very real and growing problem: the