Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘The Future of Sales'
Driving Innovation: Traceability in PCB Production
It’s Only Common Sense: Price—Is That All You’ve Got?
IPC Welcomes Trump Apprenticeship Program but Calls for Clarifications
August 29, 2019 | Ken Schramko, senior director, North American government relationsEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Trump administration deserves praise for taking steps to encourage new apprenticeship programs, but the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposal to do so needs further refinement, according to IPC comments submitted to the department this week.
IPC welcomes the administration’s focus on workforce development, because a shortage of skilled workers is our industry’s top business concern. More than two-thirds of IPC’s U.S. members report that an inability to find and retain skilled workers is limiting their growth and competitiveness.
In response to our industry’s needs, and spurred on by President Trump’s Pledge to America’s Workers, IPC is making unprecedented investments in its education and training programs to create 1 million new skilled workforce opportunities over the next five years. As part of that effort, IPC plans to introduce new “earn and learn” programs, and thus we are interested in the administration’s apprenticeship push.
In its comments to the DOL, IPC agrees that the private sector is best suited to identify the occupational skills that workers need to succeed, as we are doing under our Job Task Analysis project. However, the qualifications for the entities that would be empowered to set standards for apprenticeship programs are not sufficiently defined to ensure that the most appropriate entities will be given that role, IPC says. IPC recommends that the standards-setting entities be limited to well-established, industry-recognized associations or non-profits.
IPC also calls for apprenticeship program credentials to be portable, competency-based, and industry-recognized, not just certificates of completion.
The DOL proposes to recognize standards-setting entities in sectors that lack significant registered apprenticeship opportunities today. IPC is concerned about the exclusion of any industries from the program, which could result in uneven incentives and results.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Standards: The Roadmap for Your Ideal Data Package
05/29/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineIn this interview, IPC design instructor Kris Moyer explains how standards can help you ensure that your data package has all the information your fabricator and assembler need to build your board the way you designed it, allowing them to use their expertise. As Kris says, even with IPC standards, there’s still an art to conveying the right information in your documentation.
IPC Applauds Leadership of Reps. Moore and Krishnamoorthi on PCB Manufacturing Bill
05/28/2025 | IPCIPC, the global electronics association serving more than 1,400 U.S. companies and over 3,200 worldwide, strongly supports the bipartisan reintroduction on May 28 of the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates (PCBS) Act in the 119th Congress.
AT&S Strengthens European Research at IPCEI Day
05/26/2025 | AT&SWith the IPCEI program, the European Union supports companies that make important contributions to the technological development of key industries on the old continent.
LSI ADL Technology Leverages IPC Membership for Growth, Training, and Industry Leadership
05/28/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityWhether attending the EMS Leadership Summit at IPC APEX EXPO, or subscribing to workforce training, LSI ADL Technology has noted several positive changes directly related to its IPC membership. “Collaboration, brainstorming, and sharing best practices have been the most important aspects of our partnership with IPC,” says Jonathan Verity, assistant general manager at LSI ADL Technology.
Tax Policy Update from IPC: The House Tax Bill, and What It Means for Electronics Manufacturers
05/20/2025 | IPCOn May 13, the House Ways and Means Committee advanced a major tax package that includes several provisions supported by IPC. These provisions—including restoring bonus depreciation, immediate R&D expensing, and strengthening the pass-through deduction—were identified by IPC members as key tools that would help them invest, grow, and compete more effectively.