IPC Electronics Workforce Training Courses
By Carlos Plaza, director of education development
Key Summary
• IPC Workforce Training helps close the industry skills gap by upskilling employees for hard-to-fill electronics manufacturing roles
• Courses are built by industry experts to deliver practical, real-world skills for operators and technicians
• Training reduces turnover, improves quality, and strengthens hiring pipelines for employers
• Programs are available through IPC EDGE in both instructor-led and self-paced online formats
• Current courses include assembly, soldering, ESD control, and standards-based training, with additional courses expanding in 2021
Currently about 78 percent of electronics industry companies need to increase their work force but struggle to find skilled workers to take available jobs. Prospective employees are not necessarily aware of the available, well-paid, and stable jobs in the electronics industry. How do we close that gap?
Help upskill employeees
By launching the IPC Electronics Workforce Training courses to help upskill employees and address the most difficult-to-fill positions in the industry. Those positions include machine operators, general assemblers, inspection technicians, test technicians, failure analysis technicians, hand soldering technicians, quality control technicians, machine repair technicians and estimators.
Companies that proactively invest in professional development for their new and existing employees gain an advantage in the rapidly changing and evolving electronics manufacturing industry. By using IPC Electronics Workforce Training, employers can reduce employee turnover, attract new talent, improve customer satisfaction, and plan for an increase in work force with highly skilled employees.
IPC Electronics Workforce Training courses were created by industry experts and educational specialists to help provide real-world knowledge and skills that frontline employees need to accomplish their tasks the right way every time. Powered by the IPC EDGE online learning management system, IPC Electronics Workforce Training courses are available in both instructor-led and self-paced online formats. These programs can either be offered directly to employees or easily integrated into a more comprehensive company training program.
The courses currently available are: Electronics Assembly for Operators, IPC-A-610 for Operators, IPC-J-STD-001 for Operators, ESD Control for Electronics Assembly, and Soldering Fundamentals I. Look for Wire Harness Assembly for Operators, Soldering Fundamentals II, Electronics Assembly Inspection, and other new courses in 2021. For further information, visit https://training.ipc.org.
The training aims to reduce the industry’s talent shortage by equipping new and existing employees with the skills needed for critical manufacturing roles, improving hiring and retention for employers.
Frontline employees such as machine operators, assemblers, inspectors, soldering technicians, and quality control technicians gain essential skills needed for day-to-day production tasks.
All courses run through IPC EDGE and can be taken as instructor-led sessions or as flexible, self-paced online programs that integrate easily into existing workforce development plans.