Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Gold Mitigation for Class 2 Electronics
Punching Out: Your Financial Preparation for a Sale
Nolan's Notes: The Next Killer App in Component Manufacturing
Texas Trade School Links Students With Employers
May 9, 2023 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Elvia Quintanilla heads the Texas Technical Trade School, a state-funded training and work program that is a win-win-win for everyone—students, area employers, and the industry. It’s tax-funded, meaning it’s free for all those involved. Elvia enjoys going to work every day, and she wants to spread the news about how she’s giving students the same opportunities she had.
Barry Matties: Elvia, I understand that you are heading a trade school that you founded. Is that right?
Elvia Quintanilla: Yes. I started a Texas trade school in July 2020, when COVID started. I had been in the industry for 10 years after starting as a 23-year-old single mom working at a trade school. I had seen an opportunity in trades like electronics and HVAC. I loved the industry. I never thought about leaving my trade school and had even become an assistant director over 10 years.
But with COVID, it all shifted, and I decided to resign. I didn’t have the same vision for helping people anymore. It was like a heartbreak. So, I started my own school. Because I had already been running another one, I thought, “Look, I’ll do it and I’ll succeed, because I am passionate about what I do and I really want to help people the right way. Or, I don’t make it and I’ll just go back to working at another school.” But here I am, two years later, and we’ve trained almost 80 students in one year. This month marks our first full year of training.
Matties: Please tell us a little bit about your program and what students are getting out of it.
Quintanilla: The Texas Technical Trade School is a training provider for the state of Texas. Our program falls under the Texas Workforce Commission. It’s a hands-on electrical technician program designed for kids who don’t want to, don’t have the money to, or who don’t have the opportunity to go to college. They take a 200-hour class taught by a state-certified electrical engineer. They learn how to read schematics and blueprints. They learn how to work with fluorescent lighting, ceiling fans, and fluorescent breaker boxes in both commercial and residential. Now, we’re working with others in electronics to see how we can add more soldering and specified schematics to help train the next generation in this high-demand trade.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the April 2023 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
IPC Strengthens Global Focus with Promotion of Sanjay Huprikar to Chief Global Officer
05/08/2025 | IPCIPC, the global electronics association, announces the promotion of Sanjay Huprikar to chief global officer. This newly created position reflects the association’s forward-looking strategy and industry needs to strengthen the electronics supply chain.
Jenoptik Fab Officially Inaugurated in Dresden
05/07/2025 | JenoptikJenoptik manufactures micro-optics for the semiconductor equipment industry in a state-of-the-art production environment.
Join the Conversation: MESI 4.0 Summit 2025 Brings Manufacturing Experts to Porto
05/06/2025 | Critical ManufacturingThe MES and Industry 4.0 International Summit 2025 (MESI 4.0 Summit), hosted by Critical Manufacturing, will bring together manufacturing leaders, technology experts, and industry pioneers in Porto on June 12-13, offering a unique platform to explore practical strategies for digital transformation and smart manufacturing.
Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 18.8% in Q1 2025 Compared to Q1 2024; March 2025 Sales up 1.8% MoM
05/06/2025 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced global semiconductor sales were $167.7 billion for the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 18.8% compared to the first quarter of 2024 but 2.8% less than the fourth quarter of 2024.
The Government Circuit: Trump’s Trade War Disrupts the Electronics Ecosystem
05/06/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitThere is certainly no shortage of work to be done in the IPC Government Relations department, as the U.S. waged a tariff campaign on practically every industrial country in the world and several countries embarked on high-tech initiatives with a mix of approaches to the crucial foundations of electronics manufacturing. Indeed, the breadth and speed of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign continues to be a serious challenge for our industry.