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ICT 2026 Foundation Course - PCB Manufacturing 23rd - 26th March 2026 Emma Hudson |
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The Foundation Course and the lead up to it is the busiest period of the year for the ICT Technical Director but it is also the most rewarding, as you get to see the passion in the newer members of our industry grow as they learn from the experts, our lecturers. This year 27 delegates, representing 13 different companies, attended the four-day course held at Merlin Circuit Technology (day one) and the University of Chester (days two through four) and it was a real pleasure to welcome them all. Our delegates were exposed to 18 different lectures from 14 different lecturers, plus a tour of the Merlin Circuit Technology facility at Deeside, so a lot to take in over those four days. I’d like to take time during this review to thank all our delegates for being such good students and keeping our lecturers on their toes with the questions that you were asking them. We do hope that you and your company sponsor will see the value in all you learnt during this four-day residential course. I would also like to thank the 13 companies who sent their employees on the course this year. We appreciate that it’s not only the cost of attending, often it’s the time the person spends away from the facility that is the most challenging to cover when everyone is already busy. Thank you to the material suppliers, board manufacturers, and OEMs who see the value in developing our delegates in, what we hope, will be many exciting years as part of the PCB industry. I also want to thank Merlin Circuit Technology for kindly being our host for day one of the course and for arranging a factory tour for all our delegates. Special thanks go to our tour guides, Mat Beadel, Lilia Quattrin, Rob Brown, and Spencer Keene for sharing their knowledge and time with the group, and to all of the members of staff who had to find somewhere else to park when we took over the carpark for the day. Thanks also go to Polar Instruments who, for the second year running, kindly sponsored the welcome dinner hosted for all delegates on the first evening. We had to give our brains time to relax a little, especially when there was so much to take in during the course! Our Lecturers A big thank you to our lecturers. Most have presented at our Foundation Course for many years and we are extremely grateful for their contribution. 
Mat Beadel: Merlin PCB Group
Steve Kerr: Amphenol-Invotec
Martin Goosey
Leigh Alinson
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