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94 The PCB Magazine • July 2017 these programs, leaders in education and busi- ness should work together to build them up. IPC supports the bipartisan Strengthen- ing Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, H.R. 2353 [5] , which is mak- ing its way through Congress and would pro- vide federal support for career education pro- grams. These steps are urgently needed, along with a broader strategy to ensure that continu- ous training is a high priority in our industry. And third, there is much that we, the com- panies in our industry, can do on our own. We can host site visits or tours of our facilities and open our doors to local schools and the sur- rounding community to illustrate the impor- tance of the electronics industry for the glob- al economy. We can also develop a program or presentation to engage students and interest them in engineering careers. Companies may also offer intern programs for high school and college students. Additionally, IPC offers doz- ens of courses online and in-person, providing knowledge and certifications that can take cur- rent workers to the next level in their careers. Only by raising the educational bar and building a stronger network of technical train- ing programs can the United States hope to de- velop the workforce that it needs to compete in the global economy. PCB References 1. Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce, the National Academies Press. 2. The skills gap in U.S. manufacturing: 2015 and beyond, the Manufacturing Institute. 3. IPC survey: Findings on the Skills Gap in U.S. Electronics Manufacturing—2017D1 (available for purchase). 4. Common Core Standards—About the Standards 5. H.R.2353—Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21 st Century Act John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries. To read past columns or to contact Mitchell, click here. Among production jobs, general assembler and hand solderer are the most difficult to fill. On the professional side, quality control, pro- cess and entry-level electrical engineers have been hardest to find. Insufficient experience is the most common reason that applicants do not qualify for most positions. However, for many technical professional positions, the leading reason jobs went unfilled was that there were no applicants at all. Respondents cite many essential skills that are in short supply, but the most common ones are soldering for production jobs, and engineers with industry experience, especially in process, test, and quality control. Two-thirds of our member companies reported they would ex- pand their operations if they knew that finding qualified workers would be no problem. Thus, finding solutions to the skills gap is a high pri- ority if America wants to expand its manufac- turing sector. First, we need to do a better job of engag- ing kids in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics in elementary and mid- dle school. Unfortunately, the Common Core standards [4] adopted by 44 states typically cov- er only language and math, with nothing on science and technology. Rather than attacking those standards, as some have done, policymak- ers should expand them and incentivize STEM teaching from kindergarten through 12th grade. And America's educational standards should be tougher. Other nations set a high bar, push- ing their youth to the top of the world rank- ings. Only by building U.S. students' skills and confidence in STEM subjects in their youth can the United States compete globally and build a solid pipeline of future engineers. Second, we need to get rid of the notion that the only successful education is a liberal arts degree from college. Many noble and lu- crative careers can be had by those who learn trades and technical specialties. In Germany, companies like Siemens and Bosch use appren- ticeships to train their workers in advanced en- gineering and manufacturing. The model is used in professions like hospitality and banking as well. Such apprenticeship programs exist in the United States, but on a much smaller scale. Rather than cutting government funding for THREE WAYS TO CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP IN U.S. MANUFACTURING