Wire and Cable Technology Blog

I recently came across an item promoting a four-day Cable Loom Assembly class sponsored by Electronics Yorkshire (UK). It occurred to me that I haven't heard of a course like that offered here in the U.S. for quite a while. And even it were offered, I'm not sure anyone would take it and get a job making cables. It seems to me that just about all of that kind of work has been outsourced to overseas companies. Even so, if you don't have a skilled workforce, then you'll never have companies doing that kind of work. If anyone offered a cable-assembly course here, would anyone even be interested? What do you think comes first, the jobs or the workforce?

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No one's ever told me to my face that I was too old to do a particular job, but I'd be willing to bet that it's happened behind my back. Unfortunately, ageism is a fact of life. The question is how to deal with it? The way I've been able to cope is to continue to learn new things and adopt new technologies when appropriate. I'm also lucky to be able to work for myself. This allows me to be judged more on my skills and accomplishments and less on how gray my hair is. What about you? Have you been on the bad side of age discrimination? If so, how did you deal with it?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Wire & Cable Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Wire & Cable Technology today.

Connect the World is an organization devoted to bridging the 'digital divide' or the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. They estimate that only 5% of the developing world is connected to broadband. With projects in places such as Chile, Tajikistan, and Malawi, they're working to create sustainable economic growth by helping people establish independent energy sources and access to digital information. Do you think the digital divide is real? If so, how can we help?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Wire & Cable Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Wire & Cable Technology today.

In his article, "So how can wireless power transmission work?," Joel Young explains how Tesla was able to transmit power wirelessly over a distance of 25 miles and light hundreds of lamps. And, now, there's a company proposing to collect solar power and use microwaves to transmit it down to Earth. What do you think? Will we ever be able to cut the cords and eliminate all of the hassles — both technical and political — of power transmission? Will they succeed and make power transmission lines obsolete?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Wire & Cable Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Wire & Cable Technology today.

I recently attended a meeting of local techies. The first item on the agenda was to go around the table and introduce ourselves. I was amazed when a third of them said that they were currently unemployed and looking for new jobs. These people aren't factory workers, but people with MBAs and Master's degrees in engineering. When I run into folks like this, I try to help by keeping my eyes and ears open for opportunities and pass them along when appropriate, but I'm not sure I'm doing all I could. If you were in my shoes, what would you do? How do you help your friends and family who are looking for work?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Wire & Cable Technology, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Wire & Cable Technology today.