Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/738204
26 The PCB Design Magazine • October 2016 so that they can understand the content and intent of the programs. Shaughnessy: How has the curriculum itself changed? Lambert: The curriculum is always changing based upon the existing and changing technol- ogy in tooling, materials, products and docu- mentation. We don't normally focus on the computer skills necessary to run the equipment, but from what I've seen on the manufacturing floor, the skill levels needed are to troubleshoot the equipment when the unit malfunctions or stops. The operators are trained to read the screens, selecting the various programs to be run depending upon the product, and to get in touch with maintenance if a major deviation occurs. Shaughnessy: How do you train people from so many different backgrounds and cultures? Lambert: Our students are sent to us by their company, so we have no choice in the selection of students who come to our classes. When the documents are written, we take the language barrier into consideration by not using words which are difficult to translate into foreign lan- guages. Currently there are many IPC specifica- tions which have been translated into different languages. This also applies to the electronic test as released by IPC, so when the students sign up for a class they can select a language for the testing program. Shaughnessy: Do your instructors find themselves battling tribal knowledge and undocumented pro- cesses? Lambert: This still exists in some environments, but it is getting less and less commonplace as the OEMs are demanding the training records of the employees from the contract manufac- turers. The upper tier manufacturers and OEMs are pretty much up to date on the requirements for training and the appropriate specifications needed to be able to manufacturer the product. It's the small manufacturers that build pro- totypes who have the weakest documentation packages and internal infrastructure, and they will find it difficult when the tribal knowledge disappears. Shaughnessy: We keep hearing about the "brain drain" that occurred in the PCB industry during the two recent downturns. Do you think this has led companies to outsource training to companies like yours? Lambert: I'm sure it has increased the outsourc- ing of training, as the individuals left within each of those facilities are now wearing many hats and the demand for their time is increas- ing exponentially. Although we are training many more instructors (CIT), we are also train- ing more operators (CIS), which is an indicator of the changes. We are also training more peo- ple on the basics of soldering, which, again is an indication that the people who were in that business have left for other opportunities and the workforce has to be retrained to verify their competency and capabilities. Shaughnessy: Are you seeing many millennials in EPTAC classes? And do you think young people are more challenging to train? Leo Lambert LEO LAMBERT DISCUSSES EPTAC'S EVOLVING MISSION