A.R.T. announces collaboration with PCB Design School to address PCB skills shortage

Advanced Rework Technology Ltd (A.R.T.), the leading independent provider of IPC-certified & bespoke training services for the electronics assembly industry, has announced a collaboration with Colchester-based PCB Design School, the independent provider of hands-on training in PCB design delivered by experienced board designers. Both Essex-based companies are dedicated to raising skill levels throughout the electronics design, manufacturing and assembly supply chain through the provision of high quality training. 

A.R.T. has been providing IPC-certified training for companies and individuals working across the whole electronics manufacturing supply chain since 1988, helping them acquire and develop the skills to engineer, produce and rework high quality printed circuit boards (PCBs). PCB Design School was established in 2017 to help address the skills gap in the electronics industry by improving the quality and quantity of PCB designers. The two companies offer a range of complementary skills training for those involved in all aspects of designing and producing PCBs – and have a mutual agreement to promote their respective training offering and introduce prospects to one another. 

A.R.T. Managing Director & Master IPC trainer, Debbie Wade said: “A.R.T. has a proud heritage of helping companies including OEMs, EMS providers, PCB manufacturers, and cable and wire harness suppliers to improve the quality of their manufacturing through IPC-certified training. We’re always happy to work with partners who share the same aims – and PCB Design School’s focus on increasing skills among aspiring and experienced PCB designers alike aligns well with our mission.”

Roger Benfield, PCB Design School founder, began his career as a PCB designer at Marconi and the BBC Design Department. During his decades-long working life, he has produced PCBs for major defence and aerospace projects, the nuclear energy industry, Ford Motorsport and Jaguar Racing Cars. He founded PCB Design School, based at the University of Essex’s Knowledge Gateway Research & Technology Park in Colchester, to train the next generation of PCB designers and tackle the skills shortage in this vital part of the electronics industry. 

“PCB designers are on the endangered species list – that’s why we have established the only school in the UK teaching PCB design,” said Benfield. “20 years ago, the IPC Chairman told me: ‘In 10 years, 50% of today’s PCB designers will have either retired or died’. For more than two decades, the electronics industry has neglected the provision of PCB design training. The average age of a PCB designer today is in their late 50s to early 60s. We can’t afford another lost decade because, if we do, we risk losing their 20, 30 or 40 years of skill and expertise forever.”