The fact that a growing range of manual tasks are being automated doesn’t mean that fewer jobs will be available – but it does mean that many jobs will look very different. As this change accelerates, it will be the responsibility of education and training to help equip current and future workers with the knowledge and skills they need.
Initially, the requirements of automation itself will boost jobs. As well as the deployment of frontline robotic solutions, associated technologies such as AI, machine learning, big data, VR and AR, sensing and remote communications, will all do their bit to turbocharge the jobs market. There will be growing demand for engineers and qualified technicians who can program, operate, service and maintain robots and other automated solutions. Possible roles will include robot maintenance, programming and skills training, data analysis, process automation and automation procurement, among many others.
WORKPLACE OPPORTUNITIES
The growing role of automation will transform the world of work, opening new opportunities for a more diverse workforce, especially in the manufacturing sector. With its reliance on heavy manual labour, the sector has traditionally been male-dominated, but automation will make manufacturing more about problem solving and collaboration, promoting increased gender diversity.
This is all good news, but it raises one obvious question: where is the new workforce coming from? In theory it’s all around us. Young people, surrounded by screens and smart technologies, are more tech-savvy than ever before. But that’s not enough. They need more focused education and skills training to thrive in an automated future.
The skills gap in certain key sectors is also exacerbated by challenges with recruitment. Many people view working in manufacturing and engineering negatively. Not enough realise that modern manufacturing techniques are no longer about lifting and hauling. They involve exciting technologies ranging from smart sensors and mobile robots through to intelligent production management systems. Young jobseekers therefore need to be better informed as well as better educated.
SAY YES TO YOUNGESTERS
Engaging children with technology at an early age is key. If young people see technology as exciting and something to be embraced – and if they understand how it’s used in a real manufacturing or commerce environment, their perceptions of both automation and manufacturing will be positive. This means that educational institutions from primary schools to colleges and universities have a crucial role to play.
It’s worth noting that there is already a high awareness among educators of the need to introduce robots and automation into schools at the earliest opportunity. Large-scale research carried out on behalf of ABB found that 80% of education professionals say that robots will shape the future of employment over the next decade. However, only one in four education establishments use robots in teaching programmes, despite 70% of US and European businesses already planning their investments in robotics and automation.
THIS IS WHERE COMPANIES CAN HELP
As a robot supplier, ABB is actively involved in education projects around the world, already partnering with more than 100 universities. That’s in addition to ABB’s 40-strong global network of dedicated training centres, which support students from schools, colleges and universities.
TRAIN THE TRAINERS
Support also extends to educating teachers. Partnerships between education and industry can play a key role in providing teachers, tutors and lecturers with the knowledge, context and, importantly, equipment needed to deliver relevant and high-quality instruction to students.
Companies in automation, manufacturing and other relevant fields can offer training and support at every level, from schools through to on-the-job-training. They can provide both future and current workers with the skills that will enable them to work with automated and digital technologies.
The use of new production technologies, the real application of technical, language and numeracy skills, insights into career options in the changing workplace – all of these can be demonstrated by companies that will themselves be boosted by a better trained workforce.
To achieve this, there needs to be closer co-operation between policymakers, educational institutions, manufacturers, automated technology providers such as ABB and the wider business community. Jobs, skills, products, services – and the environment will all benefit.