Leading experts in the electronics interconnect industry will convene in Los Angeles, Calif., to teach more than 50 full-day and half-day courses providing attendees with practical information on todayrsquo;s (and tomorrowrsquo;s) critical issues as part of the professional development program at IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and the Designers Summit 2007. These specially selected courses will be held Sunday-Monday, February 18-19 and Thursday, February 22; the exhibition takes place February 20-22. Current advancements in technology, lead free, compliance with RoHS and other directives, and reliability will be presented; as well as courses on design, assembly processes, PCBs, materials and testing. The program has been designed to bring an in-depth look at the critical issues challenging our industry, says Jean Hebeisen, IPC director of professional development. Lead free and complying with the WEEE/RoHS directives certainly continue to be hot topics, but attendees also need to know the current thinking on advanced technology, embedded components, design, quality, reliability and testing, and more. Some program highlights include: SMT and Microelectronic Design Principles and Lead Free Assembly Process Development,Lead Free Soldering ─ Materials, Processes, Troubleshooting and Reliability, Base Material Basics: Manufacture and Market, Fundamentals of Solder Joint Reliability and Failure Mode and Root Cause Analyses, High Speed Printed Circuit Design ─ A Practical Approach, and Due Diligence Documentation - More than Materials Declaration. In addition to providing critical know-how, one of the most valuable benefits of the educational programs is the exchange of information where attendees learn from each othersrsquo; experiences, flagging the problems to help avoid the same pitfalls. Michael Carano, vice president of marketing and business development for Electrochemicals, and a presenter for two courses on PCB fabrication agrees, Where can our industry access such valuable information in one setting? Education is priceless. Attendees will gain insight into a multitude of new technologies and processes. It is all about getting better at what we do. For complete course descriptions and an interactive online search by day, topic, instructor or keyword, visit www.goipcshows.org/profdev. For additional information on professional development courses, contact Alexandra Curtis, IPC professional development manager, at +1 847-597-2877 or AlexandraCurtis@ipc.org.