-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
Voices of the Industry
We take the pulse of the PCB industry by sharing insights from leading fabricators and suppliers in this month's issue. We've gathered their thoughts on the new U.S. administration, spending, the war in Ukraine, and their most pressing needs. It’s an eye-opening and enlightening look behind the curtain.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Recruiting the Next Generation of PCB Designers at Garmin
March 6, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Laura Beth (LB) Yates, PCB design engineering manager at Garmin, discusses the company's innovative approach to recruiting the next generation of PCB designers. LB is leading the company’s efforts to find and develop new talent, which includes working with technical schools, and inspiring high school students to pursue careers in PCB design.
In this interview, she discusses Garmin’s plans to create a robust pipeline of skilled professionals ready to become the next generation of PCB designers. As she points out, the best part of her job is “going to work every day with my friends and making cool stuff.” If you’re looking for a job making cool stuff, LB would love to speak with you.
Andy Shaughnessy: LB, I understand that you have a plan for recruiting PCB designers. Walk me through your process.
Laura Beth (LB) Yates: We have PCB design teams in Cary, North Carolina; Olathe, Kansas, where Garmin is headquartered; Salem, Oregon; and Cochran, Alberta, Canada. We partner with local tech schools and our vendor, EMA Design Automation, gives them licenses and curricula to help train PCB designers as part of their electronics programs.
EMA Design Automation has developed a curriculum to take the Arduino module from schematic to PCB layout/DFM. EMA will give that curriculum and OrCAD licenses to the schools to help them implement this, and then we have a pipeline to hire designers who are new to the industry.
Shaughnessy: Does Garmin teach this class?
Yates: We don’t; the tech schools are teaching these classes. They already have electronic technician programs. If you already have a program, this is just a semester or a module of that program. Then we can hire from that program.
Shaughnessy: That's great. Design instruction is much needed right now.
Yates: I agree, and we have tech school partners in most locations of our PCB Design teams.
Shaughnessy: How do you get students into these programs in the first place?
Yates: Garmin has recruiting events where we talk to high school juniors and seniors to get them jazzed about non-traditional careers in tech, whether that's troubleshooting for customers and doing customer support on one of our many products, PCB design, or engineering technician bench work. There are different jobs available, so when I talk to these high schoolers, I ask, “Do you like sitting in a dark room and rocking out to music and playing puzzle-solving video games? Because that's a job, and it's called PCB design.”
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the February 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.
Trump Copper Tariffs Spark Concern
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPresident Donald Trump stated on July 8 that he plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, sparking concern in a global industry whose output is critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors, and a wide range of consumer goods. According to Yahoo Finance, copper futures climbed over 2% following tariff confirmation.
Flexible Printed Circuit Board Market to Reach US$40.447 Billion by 2030
07/10/2025 | Globe NewswireThe flexible printed circuit board market will grow at a CAGR of 8.28% to be valued at US$40.447 billion in 2030 from US$27.17 billion in 2025.
TTM Technologies Prepares For the Future with the Acquisition of a Facility in Wisconsin and Land in Penang
07/10/2025 | Globe NewswireTTM Technologies, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of technology solutions including mission systems, radio frequency (RF) components and RF microwave/microelectronic assemblies, quick-turn and technologically advanced printed circuit boards (PCB), announced the acquisition of a 750,000-square-foot facility in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as well as land rights for an additional future manufacturing site in Penang, Malaysia.
Schweizer Electronic: Annual General Meeting Approves All Proposed Resolutions with a Large Majority
07/10/2025 | Schweizer Electronic AGThe Annual General Meeting of Schweizer Electronic AG took place on June 27, 2025, at the company's headquarters in Schramberg.