Conference Report

I attended the Service & Retail Convention (SRC06) last week in Las Vegas. The name does not imply any connection to electronics but it was relevant. This is a joint conference put on by the Electronic Technicians Association International (ETA-I), the United Servicers Association, and the North American Retail Dealers Association (NARDA). The ETA, of course, is the certifying organization that some of you may be familiar with. The USA is generally associated with applicance servicing, while NARDA is associated with consumer electronics sales and service. There were about 440 in attendance.

I was invited by the ETA to speak about the declining enrollment problem and its potential solution. A group of about 20 educators from community colleges, universities and technical schools attended. All were experiencing the low enrollment problem to some extent and were looking for answers. There were additional reports of electronic department closings and mergers and closures pending the outcome of implementing corrective action. Clearly the problem is not going away and my sense of it was that it may be getting worse. The big issue remains what to do. I think we all know the problem exists but, exactly what is the solution?

Any way, here are a few notes and comments I took away from the conference. Hope they are helpful to you in some way.

1. Consumer electronics is very healthy right now with big screen TVs leading the way. Stereo surround sound, satellite and HD radio are growing, and sales are booming. Techs are needed by the big box stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) but few are applying and there are NO schools teaching this today. A lost opportunity for sure.

2. Appliance repair is always a good career choice for those who like technician repair work. There is more electronics than ever in appliances today although they are still heavily mechanical and electrical (motors, etc.). The jobs pay well and are very stable. Why is no school teaching this?

3. I heard multiple times how the jobs for techs are out there but few if any candidates apply. Reports of 60-70 biomed tech jobs and dozens of wireless tech positions are going unfilled. No one seems interested. And few schools teach either subject. Why?

4. Most everyone agreed that the engineering tech jobs have mostly gone away. Yet, most programs still focus on that position. Time to change.

5. Most attendees agree that some curriculum change is a key part of implementing a turn around, but most also agree that the schools just do not have a way to promote their programs because of a lack of a budget or relevant marketing skills.

6. Certification is still a great way to get ahead in a job. And it is also a good way for colleges to better prepare grads for industry. The ETA has a college program that helps students and graduates prepare for an entry level certification that they can add to their AAS degree for an even better chance to get the good jobs. The key in my opinion is to ensure that the certification exams are up to date and include the latest technologies that are missing from many programs. The ETA works with industry to create these exams so I suspect they are more up to date than the curricula that is so dated. Check out their certifications programs at www.eta-i.org.

My overall feelings about the conference are that electronics education is in a real irreversible slump. I am getting more doubtful everyday about its recovery. I hate to be negative, but given all the talk I heard, no one has the "silver bullet" solution, yet. Faculty and department heads are trying but they need administration support to do the job. Administrators are loathe to promote a program that is in decline. But that is just what is needed to turn around enrollments.

I have come to believe that some kind of national effort is needed to put the word out about the jobs and the educational programs. We need to get the middle school and high school kids more interested and to educate the general public about the value of the jobs and education. It is probably going to take years to change things. In the meantime, how many more electronic departments will close?

I go to the Electronics meeting at the Texas Community College Teachers Conference (TCCTA) in Houston next week. I am speaking there also and will give you a report later of what happens.

Thanks for all of your individual contributions to this blog and the overall goal of saving electronics.