Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/869081
92 SMT Magazine • September 2017 large, IPC hosts more than 100 events across the globe each year, drawing in thousands of participants. These events included technical education both online and in the classroom, government relations conferences, webinars, workshops, and regional hand soldering com- petitions. Las Marias: Are you seeing increasing demand for these activities from the industry? Bergman: Yes, we are continuing to see increas- es in global demand for training and certifica- tion. Some of our focus has been on operator- level courses with the ability to deliver online training in various languages. We are also look- ing at how to support engineers, managers, and designers beyond our existing education events by adding more online courses and working with our members to identify specific areas IPC can support the industry. Las Marias: What activities is IPC doing to en- sure that the new workforce entering the indus- try have the proper skill sets? Bergman: As part of its government relations program, IPC advocates for ambitious public policies to address the skills gap. For example, IPC supports the bipartisan Strengthening Ca- reer and Technical Education for the 21st Cen- tury Act, H.R. 2353, which is making its way through Congress and would provide federal support for career education programs. We are also engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the Trump administration to explore how we can support their apprenticeship and workforce de- velopment initiatives. The annual observance of Manufacturing Day (MFG DAY), which takes place this year on October 6, offers a special opportunity to en- gage your local community on attracting the next generation of workers to the industry. Sup- ported by a group of industry sponsors includ- ing IPC, MFG DAY encourages companies to open their doors to show the public what manu- facturing really is. Last year, more than 400,000 people attended 1,700 events across the coun- try, and we are looking to make a bigger impact this year. In addition, IPC supports the EU Skills Agenda which seeks to improve the quality of European labor market. IPC stands ready to work with the European Commission, the member states and stakeholders to tackle our common challenges including the lack of rel- evant skills to match labor market needs, in- sufficient comparability of skills and qualifica- tions, and the difficulty to anticipate skills that would be needed in the future. Addressing the current skills gaps will have a multiplying ef- fect—translating into more innovation, more growth, more competitiveness and more high- quality jobs in the EU. Attracting and retaining a skilled workforce has become an increasingly important factor of competitiveness in a globalized market place. Recruiting the necessary talent is a fundamen- tal concern for the advanced manufacturing in- dustry in Europe, which consists of more than 700,000 enterprises and employs more than 13 million people. With 35 training centers across Europe that improve the skills of approximate- ly 14,000 employees per year in the EU, as well as online training possibilities, IPC is a credible and reliable source for electronics education for the electronics industry. Las Marias: Do you have any final comments? Bergman: IPC is dedicated to addressing the core issues of recruiting, retention, and retrain- ing. Through IPC EDGE, and some of the new initiatives we have in the pipeline, we are hop- ing to provide the electronics industry with mechanisms and infrastructure needed to ad- dress some of the critical issues. IPC will be at the forefront of the evolving needs of the elec- tronics industry, and lead the effort to address the growing skills gap and a lack of career path- ways and education frameworks. While this road is not short or easily traversed, we are ded- icated to driving forward. Las Marias: Thank you very much. Bergman: Thank you. SMT IPC'S DAVID BERGMAN ON INDUSTRY TRAINING AND EDUCATION