The Training Connection Difference

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Bert Horner, president of The Test Connection, has recently launched The Training Connection, a new company that addresses critical training needs in test engineering and development. With a focus on essential methodologies like design for test (DFT) and IPC standards, the initiative promises to enhance the skills of professionals in the field. At PCB Carolina, Bert talked about the program, its positive reception, and the growing demand for practical, effective training solutions within the industry.

Andy Shaughnessy: Bert, tell us about your newest endeavor, The Training Connection.

Bert Horner: The Training Connection has launched and is doing well. We offer classes for test engineering, test development, design for test, including both design for ICT and design for boundary scan. These are key things that engineers need to understand when they're designing a board that will go to production and where they will utilize test methodology if they want to maximize that return on investment.

We also have IPC standards classes—610, 600, and 620—as well as offering solder classes.

Shaughnessy: How has The Training Connection been received?

Horner: The interest is extremely high, and we are excited to fill a need in the industry. There are some big, competent training centers, but we have a knowledgeable staff focused on the training curriculum. Our training focuses on passing down and disseminating that knowledge in our training materials to our students. They will get certified and then be successful.

The four stages in our logo are the four stages we intend to achieve with new students as we move forward; we're picking up many of our test customers who have expressed interest. I had a backlog when we started, but we are growing in the business, and I look forward to offering even more in the near future.

Shaughnessy: Where are your training centers?

Horner: We have offices in Tampa, Florida, and Baltimore, Maryland. We feel like the industry blessed us by showing us a previously unmet need when it comes to training and certification. They were ready and eager to have us address it.  

Shaughnessy: That sounds like a good fit. How do you find people who need to be trained?

Horner: Often, when we're talking to a customer about existing test applications or test services, I ask them, “What are some of your problems? What are you struggling with?” Sometimes, they are looking for rework people or inspection solder quality. In the past two years, we've been cataloging their responses to determine whether there was a need we could address. It makes sense that we focus on training for test engineering, services, communication methodology, and DFT to increase the general understanding among industry professionals that design intensity must be associated with the test methodologies, like a boundary scan, for example.

Shaughnessy: This builds on your business approach focused on education, and for years you have been trying to explain the importance of DFT.

Horner: Our job is more than just DFT and review services. I don't mind getting business, but it will always be the same reviews and not learning sounds like the joke of “What's the definition of insanity?” It’s doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. Progress comes when we can train someone to know what to look for in designs so that, moving forward, their next design doesn't have the same problem. That is real problem-solving. They save money and time, and we get a better product to test, which means it's more cost-effective for us and the customer, and they can hit the market a lot sooner at a lower cost.

Shaughnessy: Is this training online or in person?

Horner: Right now, it's all in person, but we plan to offer online classes for those outside the Baltimore and Tampa training sites.

Shaughnessy: Will you have training in all your existing sites?

Horner: Currently, the Baltimore location is our main training center. We have a Tampa location and the ability to be up in New England, the upper Midwest, and the lower south-central part of the country. My plan for expansion is to be well-positioned throughout the main geographic regions in the United States.

Right now, I'm concentrating on getting our brand out and keeping a feedback loop open with our students and clients toward continuous improvement as we do these initial classes.

I have great instructors who will train the trainers, specialists, and experts so it's not just a step or repeat. We have designed our training programs to empower our customers to be more successful, which will make us successful. We focus on education because an educated customer knows what they want and how to communicate that back to us to make sure they get it.

Shaughnessy: It’s good for the industry, as we like to say.  

Horner: A happy customer is a good customer, and a good customer comes back to you. We are The Test Connection and The Training Connection. They are in the same building, and they know each other very well. They even have the same initials. But they are two separate companies, so we don’t get biased on a certain skill set. I am confident we will continue to see solid growth through 2025. We are excited about this opportunity.

Shaughnessy: We need to train up the next generations as so many Americans are aging into retirement.

Horner: Right. As baby boomers retire, and a new labor pool comes out of school with different skill sets and training, you will see a jockeying for workers—from skilled labor to engineering. There are a lot of new opportunities for growth.

Shaughnessy: Bert, it is always interesting talking to you. Congratulations on The Training Connection and continued good luck.

Horner: Thank you, Andy.