Finding and Training the Designers of Tomorrow: Design007 Magazine, February 2025
February 10, 2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: Less than a minute
Finding and Training the Designers of Tomorrow
It’s no big secret: There’s a shortage of PCB designers and design engineers, and we don’t have enough of a pipeline to fill these seats. To top it off, the last batch of designers from the Baby Boomer generation is approaching retirement.
For the February 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, we asked our expert contributors to address these questions: Where will we find the next generation of PCB designers and design engineers? Once we locate them, how will we train and educate them? What disciplines will the designers of the future need to understand and master to deal with tomorrow’s technology?
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Pentalogix Launches ViewMate Essentials to Ensure PCB Designs are Manufacturing-Ready
09/03/2025 | PentaLogixPentalogix, Inc., a leader in PCB design solutions, announced the launch of ViewMate Essentials, an advanced CAM package designed to enhance the workflow of PCB designers. Available starting September 2nd, 2025, ViewMate Essentials enables designers to view, edit, and manage PCB manufacturing files with exceptional precision, facilitating seamless collaboration with PCB fabricators and assemblers.
The Shaughnessy Report: A Plan for Floor Planning
08/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy -- Column: The Shaughnessy ReportMost of the time, we cover topics that designers say are giving them trouble. But designers don’t usually cite floor planning as one of their bigger challenges. No, it’s the fabricators who say that floor planning is an ongoing problem for their designer brethren, usually after having to put yet another job on hold.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Closing the Gap Between Design and Manufacturing
07/23/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonModern PCB designers are not merely engineers or technicians. I believe that PCB design, at its core, is an art form, and modern PCB designers should be considered artists. Beyond the technical calculations and engineering rules lies a creative process that involves vision, balance, and a passion for what we do. Like any artist who works with brush and canvas or chisel and stone, a PCB designer shapes invisible pathways that bring ideas to life. Each trace, layer, and component placement reflects thoughtful decisions that blend form, fit, and function.
The Pulse: Design Constraints for the Next Generation
07/17/2025 | Martyn Gaudion -- Column: The PulseIn Europe, where engineering careers were once seen as unpopular and lacking street credibility, we have been witnessing a turnaround in the past few years. The industry is now welcoming a new cohort of designers and engineers as people are showing a newfound interest in the profession.
Meet the Author Podcast: Martyn Gaudion Unpacks the Secrets of High-Speed PCB Design
07/16/2025 | I-Connect007In this special Meet the Author episode of the On the Line with… podcast, Nolan Johnson sits down with Martyn Gaudion, signal integrity expert, managing director of Polar Instruments, and three-time author in I-Connect007’s popular The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... series.