PCIF, SAMC adopt IPC design certification program

Citation

(1999), "PCIF, SAMC adopt IPC design certification program", Circuit World, Vol. 25 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.1999.21725dab.007

PCIF, SAMC adopt IPC design certification program

PCIF, SAMC adopt IPC design certification program

Keywords: IPC, Certification

Printed wiring board (PWB) designers in Scotland and the UK can join the more than 350 individuals that have become IPC Certified Interconnect Designers through the IPC Designer Education and Certification Program. The Printed Circuit Interconnection Federation (PCIF) and the Scottish Advanced Manufacturing Centre (SAMC) have adopted the IPC program following two days of meetings in Scotland.

"Designer education and certification is a world-wide concern. If you take away the differences in languages, the philosophy of design is the same throughout the world," says IPC Designers Council executive director Gary Ferrari. "With the joint effort between IPC, PCIF and SAMC, we're a step closer to our goal of getting global accreditation for designers who are certified through the IPC program."

An independent study by the Association of Design Engineers (ADE) (PCIF's equivalent to IPC's Designers Council) on how its PWB designer education and certification program should be structured showed it should be organised much like the IPC Designers Council program. "This led to an easy decision to adopt the IPC Program," says Willie Campbell, of the SAMC. Since the IPC program was already in existence, it was agreed that the IPC design program should be adopted in the UK.

Implementation proposals are currently being formulated by SAMC and will be presented for approval in early summer to PCIF's four ADE chapters. SAMC, a partnership between West Lothian College, Napier University and Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Ltd, is a world-leading training facility supporting the semiconductor fabrication and printed circuit assembly sectors. The course will be taught at SAMC's main campus in Scotland's Silicon Glen.

Plans are also under way for SAMC and PCIF to develop programs that will be offered on a company-specific basis. As part of the agreement, PCIF and SAMC will provide volunteers to supplement committees of the IPC Designers Council, and IPC will do the same for committees of the SAMC and PCIF.

Successful completion of the IPC program verifies that a PWB designer has the body of knowledge to create quality manufacturable designs; reducing costs for their companies and suppliers. The goal of the program is to enhance the professional image of PWB designers through education, training and certification.

For more information on this agreement and the IPC Designers Council, contact Gary Ferrari at +1 (860) 350 9300, or e-mail GaryFerrari@ipc.org