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82 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2018 San Diego high schools will have the chance to attend IPC APEX EXPO, learn about various career options within the electronics manufac- turing industry, take part in panel discussions with industry experts, and participate in a pri- vate tour of the show floor. Organizations like the STEM Education Co- alition [11] , of which IPC is a proud member, are working to inform federal and state poli- cymakers on the vital role that STEM educa- tion plays in the future of economic success. Among its core policy principals, the STEM Ed- ucation Coalition believes that effective poli- cies that promote STEM education should be a bipartisan national priority. Currently, edu- cational policies such as the "Common Core" standards, which have been adopted by more than 40 states, cover only language and math, not science. There must be a state-based ef- fort to implement not just Common Core Math but also Next Generation Science Standards, among other college- and career-ready stan- dards in STEM fields. Culturally, there is a long-standing, but false, notion that the only "successful" education is a traditional four-year degree from a universi- ty. While a growing number of colleges across the country are offering world-class STEM ma- jors, technical and trade schools are also a vi- able option for students. Many noble and lu- crative careers can be had by those who learn trades and technical specialties. To ensure that America's economy remains competitive on a global scale, we must raise the educational bar and build a stronger emphasis on STEM educa- tion and technical training. In an effort to better address a growing skills gap, and to ensure access to relevant training for a larger global population, IPC launched IPC EDGE [12] , a new cloud-based learning man- agement system in July 2016. IPC EDGE deliv- ers the education needed to acquire and de- velop the competitive skills necessary to excel in the electronics industry. Through white pa- pers, webinars, IPC standards, skill develop- ment and foundation courses, users gain the flexibility to learn the skills needed to advance their careers and improve the industry. Cur- rently, IPC EDGE consists of dozens of IPC's due to a lack of available skilled talent. Another survey [6] of IPC companies found that most are having a hard time recruiting qualified produc- tion workers, and an even harder time finding qualified engineers and other technical profes- sionals. Executives also noted [4] a lack of prob- lem-solving skills, basic technical training, and math skills. This common lack of foundational skills has an unfortunate impact on manufac- turing companies across the nation. To address this issue, IPC offered its support for the Apprenticeship and Jobs Training Act (S.1352) [7] as well as the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21 st Century Act (H.R. 2353) [8] . Both aim to support career education programs which prepare workers to fill highly skilled manufacturing jobs. Previously, I've written [9] that combating the skills gap would be no small feat. But, we can start by taking a critical look at our education system. For several years, U.S. high school students have ranked below average when it comes to math and science. Only 40% of U.S. high schools offer advanced science cours - es like physics, according to an Education Week Research Center analysis. Among the students that pursue a STEM major in college, only half actually pursue a STEM career post-graduation. These statistics are a stark reminder that sci- ence, technology, engineering and math edu- cation should be a national priority. It is our duty to introduce STEM topics as early as pos- sible, both at home and in the classroom. To that end, during IPC APEX EXPO 2018, we will introduce a STEM outreach program [10] for high school students. This year, students from two These statistics are a stark reminder that science, technology, engineering and math education should be a national priority.