Evaluation of skill requirements in contract electronics manufacture

Within the contract electronic manufacturing industry the retention and development of the correct mix of people and skills is essential to achieve the vision of the organisation. The cost of acquiring and developing the necessary skills is an expensive business. The retention of employees is a major concern for companies particularly in areas of dense electronics manufacture. One of the methods which Design to Distribution (D2D) have begun to use to develop the appropriate mix of skills within the engineering section is modern apprenticeships. Modern apprenticeships are a new approach to work based training, developed by local training and enterprise councils (TECs) and employers, which enables the training to match the needs of the company. The trainees obtain a NVQ3 in an engineering discipline along with a BTEC award in electronics manufacturing. The apprenticeships enable the development of multi skilled, flexible and adaptable people with relevant technical expertise and knowledge. They should have supervisory, communication skills, the ability to work with others, solve problems and manage changes in information technology. This paper discusses the factors affecting the specification of a skills structure within a contract manufacturing organisation. It concentrates on the creation and retention of skills for printed circuit assembly and the use of modern apprenticeships as a means for satisfying company needs. The costs of training are assessed and the benefits and effectiveness of alternative approaches compared