MANCHESTER, NH – EPTAC has joined PowerAmerica to offer IPC Designer Certification to students and faculty of North Carolina State University.

This effort supports professional development for careers in electronics by providing instruction framed by industry best practices.

PowerAmerica is helping fund the project, which allows program participants the opportunity to add real-world technical certifications to their skill sets – for a competitive edge in the global marketplace. The first module to be presented on the NCSU campus is the IPC Designer Certification course for CID (Certified Interconnect Designer). This professional designation is valued throughout the electronics industry, and specified for major projects.

The PowerAmerica Institute, also known as the Next Generation Power Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is tasked with creating new USA-based high-tech jobs and fostering long-term economic growth. PowerAmerica will develop an ecosystem of education and technology commercialization that will exploit the performance characteristics of wide band gap (WBG) semiconductors in the power electronics marketplace.

PowerAmerica is a $140 million public-private partnership between the US Department of Energy and NC State University.

“Education is an important part of the PowerAmerica mission, which extends from K-12 to PhD and on to professional development,” said Stephen Walsh, director of education and workforce development. “As a manufacturing innovation institute, it is imperative that PowerAmerica collaborate with organizations that can supplement educational opportunities for students across a broad age and experience spectrum. By collaborating with EPTAC and the IPC, PowerAmerica is ensuring that university students and faculty can design products that need WBG power electronics.”

Another champion of this collaboration is Gary Ferrari, a former director of the IPC Designers Council and coauthor of the Designer Certification program and master instructor at EPTAC. “This is a great marriage between cutting edge design instruction and educational institutions, allowing the industry to support the growing demand for highly skilled employees,” said Ferrari.

The first offering to be held at the NC State University campus in Raleigh, NC, will be the CID course module. This session is open to NCSU students, faculty, and the electronics community and takes place July 21-23.

EPTAC is a provider of industry training programs with locations in the US and Canada. For more information: