Part 1: The Job Needs / Skills Gap

We have been hearing about workforce issues for some time now, but do they really exist?  I guess that depends on your perspective.  Many seem to think so…so, let’s start peeling the onion to get to the heart of the matter and see if we can’t ultimately recommend some solutions as well.

First, a bit of background on me, so you know from which I speak.  I have the privilege of leading a trade association that operates on behalf of the entire electronics industry (www.ipc.org).  Because of this role, I see many different segments of the industry (design, suppliers, raw materials, manufacturing (boards and assembly), harnessing, primes, etc.).  These members range from multi-billion-dollar multinationals to small and medium-sized organizations (~80%) y across the globe.   These companies serve many critical industries like medical, transportation, communication, consumer, computer, defense, aerospace, etc. and are in most parts of the world.  These companies employ millions of people and are most assuredly in a growth market.

The range of concern varies broadly among these companies.  When I ask the question, “Is workforce education a problem?” the answers range from “a little one,” or “sure, we have some challenges,” to much more desperate “my business is suffering – we’re going to close our company if we don’t find...