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IPC Supports U.S. House Passage of National Apprenticeship Act
February 8, 2021 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
IPC welcomes the U.S. House vote today on H.R. 447, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. This bill would invest nearly $3.5 billion over five years to scale-up apprenticeship opportunities, streamline access to apprenticeships for workers and employers, and expand apprenticeships into new, in-demand industry sectors and occupations.
One of the most difficult challenges facing the U.S. electronics manufacturing industry is a chronic shortage of adequately skilled workers. More than two-thirds of IPC’s U.S. members report that an inability to find and retain skilled workers is limiting their growth and competitiveness. The pressure is on our industry to tap the institutional and technical knowledge of an aging workforce to train the next generation of workers, even as younger workers also learn the skills required for the factories of the future. IPC believes that the private sector is best suited to identify the occupational skills that workers need to succeed, which is why IPC works with industry to develop and provide industry training and credentialing programs.
IPC agrees with workforce experts that well-crafted apprenticeship programs offer individuals, especially those not planning to pursue higher education, an effective means of gaining the skills and mentoring necessary to thrive in certain fields, including electronics. However, the United States has failed to cultivate an environment in which apprenticeship programs flourish, except in a few industries. The current structure of the existing apprenticeship program in the United States is onerous for employers, which is a key reason why apprenticeships are not as popular in the U.S. as they are in Europe. H.R. 447 would streamline some reporting requirements, improve the registration system, and allow various program costs, including new machinery and equipment, to be included as allowable costs for all grant dollars. For these reasons, IPC supports H.R. 447, and we welcome the opportunity to work with policy makers to improve and expand industry-led education and training programs.
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04/24/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOEditor Marcy LaRont chats with Bob Ferguson, the president of SCHMID, about advanced solutions for PCBs and the equipment they are highlighting at this year's show, delving into vertical no-touch handling systems and the prospect of achieving sub 10-micron lines. Inspired by SCHMID's technology, Ferguson expresses excitement about where the industry is today.
Big Win for Defense Production Act Budget Allocation in FY24 Budget
04/23/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamOne year ago, President Biden issued a determination that chips and packaging are critical for national security. Since that time, much work has been done to continue the conversation in Washington, elevating the importance of the entire chips value chain, and including printed circuit boards and substrates, without which chips cannot operate.
Zentech’s Board of Directors Announces the Return of Matt Turpin as President and CEO
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Aaron Woolf, Dylan Peterson Join SIA Team
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It’s Only Common Sense: OCCAM—the Time Is Now
04/22/2024 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseOne of my favorite books is a little tome called Who Moved My Cheese? Even those of you who don’t spend a lot of time reading books have at least heard of it and know that it refers to people, especially in business, who are so stuck in their ways that they get upset when something changes. In our business, we know this kind of thinking is especially true. In fact, it always makes me laugh when one of my innovative friends finds a new way to do something and is afraid that someone will steal his idea. I always tell him that no one in our business, especially a PCB engineer, has ever thought about someone else’s innovative idea enough to steal it.