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The Role of Industry Associations in Training and Education
July 21, 2017 | Stephen Las Marias, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Source: I-Connect007 Research
Industry associations, such as the IPC and the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA), help advance the electronics manufacturing industry through standardization, training, education, advocacy, and interaction through trade events, exhibitions and symposiums. They help members to become aware of the latest technology developments happening in their industry verticals, and of the market trends shaping the direction of the industry. Moreover, they also provide platforms to connect all industry stakeholders to discuss strategies and solutions to the electronics manufacturing engineering challenges of the future.
In our recent survey on assembly training and education, we asked our readers about the importance of industry associations, especially when it comes to training and education for their members. Majority, or 60.6% of the respondents, consider these associations important for their business—it’s a split between "Very Important" and "Important", (30.3% and 30.3%).
Among the key reasons are they provide industry standard reference; they give non-partisan benchmarked industry consensus training; they provide a common ground for members to meet and share information; and they provide diverse support and share ideas important to operations.
With their symposiums and numerous technical training and workshops on electronics manufacturing standards, industry associations give everyone a constant reminder for the need for increased knowledge for continuous improvement. And members embrace this opportunity to learn more by sending their operators, engineers, supervisors, among others, to receive training and education from these associations.
Source: I-Connect007 Research
According to our survey, 73% of respondents send their people to conferences for training and further education. The frequency varies; some send their engineers for training once a year, while others attend such training every six months. Others say they send their people occasionally and per demand—and that these people vary from sales, to production, or the front-end guys—depending on the conferences and individual needs.
To know more about our survey on assembly training and education, watch out for the upcoming issue of SMT Magazine.
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