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Fresh PCB Concepts: Investing in Tomorrow's PCB Experts Today

People often describe the PCB industry as one of the most critical yet invisible foundations of modern electronics. Every project needs a PCB, but few college programs or engineering curricula cover the complexity of board design, stackups, or manufacturability. That means the responsibility for developing the next generation of PCB experts falls on the industry itself.

At NCAB Group, we’ve seen firsthand how investing in mentorship, outreach, and hands-on training transforms the way younger engineers enter the field, and how collaboration across generations makes us all stronger.

Meeting Students Where They Are
One way to attract and inspire the next wave of engineers is by showing them what a career in PCBs looks like:

High school engagement: Working with local schools helps educate and spread awareness of the growth opportunities available in the PCB space. From lunch-and-learn sessions to facility tours led by our Director of Engineering, students gain insight into real-world career paths. Three NCAB hires have come from these programs.

University partnerships: Michael Marshall supports the engineering lab at the University of Illinois with PCB design resources and is involved with judging a robotics competition at SMTAI for young engineers. Ryan Miller and Ramon Roche spoke to Georgia Tech IEEE students about cost drivers, sustainability, and industry challenges. Across campuses from Michigan to Wisconsin, we’re in communication on requests for PCB samples and insights, helping students connect coursework to real-world electronics.

The consistent takeaway: When students hear from practicing engineers, they recognize the central role PCBs play across industries and picture themselves in these careers.

Onboarding as a Competitive Advantage
Once young engineers join NCAB, training goes beyond orientation. Our NCAB Academy program provides meaningful onboarding courses. Our hands-on training blends peer shadowing, leadership development, and factory immersion.

Shadowing and collaboration: New hires spend time with product, field, and quote engineers, learning how each role contributes and what each team member specializes in. This not only builds technical skills but also encourages a culture of collaboration.

Learning by doing: From analyzing design-for-manufacturability issues to solving quality concerns before they reach production, we encourage engineers to figure things out, make mistakes in a safe environment, and become confident in their decisions.

Continuous growth: As Ramon notes, “Training at NCAB never really ends.” Engineers pursue IPC certifications, cross-train in new board technologies, and specialize in areas of personal interest—whether sustainability, stackups, sector-specific safeguards, or rigid-flex design.

The outcome? Empowered, well-rounded engineers able to speak directly with factories and customers as true subject matter experts.

Bridging Experience With Fresh Perspective
One of the most rewarding dynamics on our team is the collaboration between veteran engineers and new hires. Collectively, our engineering team represents over 100 years of PCB experience—spanning factory floors, production lines, and decades of evolving technologies.

From the 1960s to today: Senior engineers bring historical context, data, and lessons from legacy technologies, while younger engineers often dive headfirst into newer complex designs. Together, they cover the full spectrum of what customers need.

Diverse backgrounds: Our team includes electrical and mechanical engineers, as well as professionals who began in purchasing, production, and quality. This variety means that when challenges arise—from impedance concerns to thermal management—there’s always someone with the right lens to solve it.

Knowledge sharing: whether it’s Ryan packaging DFM guidelines for sales teams, younger engineers shadowing multiple specialists during their first few weeks, or Jeff reinforcing that “a passion for PCBs” is the only prerequisite, learning flows freely in every direction. This also enables us to foster an environment to nurture and sustain over time the passion for PCBs, and we are all challenged consistently in work that has a rewarding payoff.

The result is a team environment where knowledge compounds, not just adds up—where we truly are greater than the sum of our parts.

Why Industry Mentorship Matters
Our industry faces an aging workforce, limited academic exposure to PCBs, and a need for experts as technology advances. Companies can no longer wait for “perfect” candidates with 10 years of factory experience. Instead, we must cultivate talent—developing people with curiosity, work ethic, and a willingness to learn.

At NCAB, we view it as a responsibility not just to grow our own workforce, but to contribute to the industry overall. If our engineers leave us one day for other opportunities, they carry with them knowledge and passion for PCBs that benefit the entire ecosystem. That’s a win.

We’d love to hear from others across the industry: How are you developing the next generation of PCB experts? Let’s keep the conversation going, because the future of electronics depends on it.

Team NCAB is Jeffrey Beauchamp, Ryan Miller, Michael Marshall, and Ramon Roche. Steven Davis, director of People & Culture at NCAB Group USA, and Ethan Sherer, quote engineer, at NCAB Group USA contributed to this column.