Bridging the Knowledge Gap in Test: A Conversation with Bert Horner

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Bert Horner is a seasoned industry veteran and co-creator of The Test Connection, Inc. (TTCI), a test and inspection company spanning over 45 years. In this candid conversation, Bert reflects on the challenges our industry faces with the retirement of career professionals and the subsequent loss of critical tribal knowledge. As he unveils The Training Connection’s innovative training initiatives, Bert emphasizes the importance of evolving educational programs that align with industry needs, particularly in design for test (DFT), and sheds light on strategies being implemented to foster the next generation of engineers.

Barry Matties: Bert, welcome. Let’s start by talking briefly about the history of The Test Connection.

Bert Horner: It was started by my father, Bill Horner, 45 years ago, and I've been here for over 30 years myself. I grew up working in the electronics industry, starting at the technician level, then getting my degree and becoming an engineer, then becoming an applications person, and finally going into the business side.

We participated in industry organizations like IPC, SMTA, and IEEE, and we noticed gaps: Mentoring programs that existed in the ’80s and early ’90s were gone, and there was a loss of connection, that tribal knowledge. While you see people in their 70s and 80s coming back into the industry, you know there is a brain drain, and the young engineer is learning it again for the first time.

Some of our customers in the test world asked if we would come up with something to help with the assembly side of it. We saw opportunities and asked, “How can we help address that need?” That’s when we came up with the concept of a training company we call The Training Connection. It has its own business model, separate from The Test Connection.

The new company has its a training program and employees. I have some guys who have been on staff for 20-30 years, getting them trained at the next level of engineering. We created our own curriculum on the training for test.

Matties: There are some good IPC training companies out there, but I guess they weren't scratching an itch that some of the customer base was asking for. DFT is a big area that the industry talks about all the time. Was that one of the areas that worked?

To read the entire interview, which originally appeard in the June 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.