NCC’s 10-week career training maintains high job placement rate
A new wave of Microelectronics Boot Camp graduates from Nashua Community College is ready to hit the workforce after graduating April 8.
Congratulations to: Alma Alberto Cabrera, Anthony Campanelli, Ada Ly, Owen Mosteiro, Isaiah Naroff, Kathy Nguyen, Sarah Paterson, Lauren Reutlinger, Andrew Ribak, Rubia Salguero Rubio, Zamari Silva, and Amelia Volk.
U.S. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, a native of Nashua, joined the celebration – her second visit to a Microelectronics graduation at NCC within a year.
“It is truly humbling what you have been through in the past 10 weeks,” she said, noting she saw the wire and ribbon bonding work first-hand in the Microelectronics lab on campus, “I want to tell you how much you inspire me. You all had different paths to the stage tonight, but what unites you is your commitment to hard work. We’re lucky that each and every one of you have put in the work, it’s so important to national security and our community.”
NCC President James Keane told students they will always be part of the NCC family, “We are proud of you, we believe in you, and we can’t wait to see the contributions you bring to the world.”
The Microelectronics Boot Camp prepares students for entry-level ribbon/wire bonding and manual epoxy dispense and die attach work. The program was designed to meet industry demands, and teach basic military standards and assembly techniques for radio frequency (RF) and microwave electronic (MW) assemblies.
Dave Kneedler, Director of Manufacturing Engineer at Analog Devices, welcomed graduates to the workforce. “Graduates of this boot camp are well equipped to hit the ground running.” Kneedler said Analog Devices has hired several of the boot camp graduates over the years, one of whom has joined their engineering team.
From the boot camp’s founding partner BAE Systems, Inc., Strategic Operations Director Butch Locke advised graduates to “say yes” to new opportunities throughout their careers. “Try to develop yourself when you go to a company; make a difference.”
Locke, along with NCC Workforce Director Jon Mason, were instrumental in getting the boot camp off the ground more than a decade ago. Now 40 classes and 424 graduates later, the job placement rate for graduates has stayed over 90 percent.
Graduates Sarah Paterson and Rubia Salguero spoke on behalf of the 40th class. “Taking this course has been one of the best decisions of my life,” said Paterson. A single mom, Paterson said she was inspired to enroll to make a better future for her son.
Salguero spoke to the struggles of being a non-native English speaker in the boot camp, “Learning a language as an adult is humbling in ways that are hard to explain. I joined the Microelectronics Boot Camp, and the challenge doubled – this is technical English, words I’ve never seen before. I was translating and learning at the same time,” she said, adding, “Growth doesn’t happen when things are easy, but when they are uncomfortable.”
Microelectronics instructor Jim Flis praised the graduates’ perseverance and resilience over the past 10 weeks, “I congratulate all of you for your tenacity and hard work.”
The majority of this class already secured job offers before graduation, and a couple more have interviews scheduled. Microelectronics Boot Camp graduates are guaranteed an interview with the boot camp’s founding partner, BAE Systems, Inc., and many also interview with the program’s network of industry partners.
Each boot camp runs 10 weeks for 40 hours/ week. The cost is $6,000, and sessions run throughout the year. The skills are taught with visual aids, lecture, and hands-on practice using equipment common to microelectronics assembly techniques.