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We take a hard look at fueling the workforce pipeline, specifically at the early introduction of manufacturing concepts and business to young people in this issue of PCB007 Magazine.
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Fueling the Workforce Pipeline: January PCB007 Magazine
January 22, 2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: Less than a minute

Workforce, workforce, workforce. It's a topic of conversation in manufacturing businesses that occurs nearly as often today as discussing quality and reliability. Finding good employees has always been a challenge, but the manufacturing industry has failed more spectacularly than most to draw new workers into the fold.
In the January 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine, we take a hard look at fueling the workforce pipeline, specifically at the early introduction of manufacturing concepts and business to young people, including some out-of-the-box feature interviews with folks reaching out to the very young in our communities.
Also featured in this issue is Summit Interconnect’s internship program, the IPC Education Foundation’s collaboration with Stephen F. Austin State University, and we interviews with a couple of newbies just starting out in our industry. One works in engineering and one in purchasing and automation. Our great columnists also weigh in on the workforce and other important topics. Welcome to the January 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine!
View or download your copy today.
Suggested Items
European Chip Giants NXP, STMicroelectronics Prepare for Layoffs
02/06/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamWhile companies like NVIDIA dominate the headlines with announcements of record chip sales associated with AI, European chip makers that are more dependent on industrial and automotive electronics are under pressure as demands for their chips slow. NXP, headquartered in the Netherlands, recently announced disappointing financials, down 5% from the previous year, primarily due to softening demand in those markets.
U.S. Work Visas Demystified
01/28/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineThe H-1B visa has been a long-time friend of the U.S. technology and manufacturing sectors. It allows companies to bring high-level talent from other countries or transition university students with student visas over to the workforce. This is a boon for U.S. public diplomacy while providing a deeper talent pipeline for fulfilling U.S. workforce needs.
Marcy’s Musings: Fueling the Workforce Pipeline
01/23/2025 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsWorkforce, workforce, workforce. It's a conversation in manufacturing that occurs nearly as often as discussing quality and reliability. Finding good employees has always been a challenge, but the manufacturing industry has failed more spectacularly than most to draw new workers into the fold. In a domestic culture that has diminished the importance and relative social standing of manufacturing jobs, we now stare down a gaping hole where a ready, skilled next-generation workforce should be. It’s estimated there are 67,000 unfilled technical jobs in the U.S. semiconductor sector alone. In short, we are doing a lot of catch-up.
The Chemical Connection: Better Fabs Attract a Better Workforce
01/23/2025 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionWorkforce problems are almost as great an issue in PCB manufacturing today as the product quality and reliability of the increasingly complex circuit boards now in demand. I believe they are directly related. A quality workforce makes it easier to produce a quality product. Unfortunately, as an industry, we have not done a good job of attracting quality young people for today’s production requirements.
Department of Commerce Finalizes Long-Term Partnership with Natcast to Operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center
01/20/2025 | U.S. Department of CommerceThe U.S. Department of Commerce announced the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded Natcast up to $6.3 billion to operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) under a long-term agreement with NIST.