Manufacturing skills strategy 'needed to tackle labour shortage'

The manufacturing industry must reskill existing workers as well as training a new generation if it is to tackle the ongoing labour shortage, experts have said.

Industry leaders should work with academia and training providers to outline a skills strategy, said Dr Graham Hoare, CEO of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at the organisation’s National Manufacturing Summit yesterday (14 March).

“The government’s advanced manufacturing plan signals a positive step change in approach and attitude towards the sector. The development of technologies such as additive manufacturing are continuing to revolutionise industry. Looking forward, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will be key to facilitating the ongoing resurgence of manufacturing in the UK,” said Dr Hoare.

“But for manufacturers to truly benefit from the rapidly changing environment, there is an urgent need to ensure the workforce can keep up with the pace of technological change. We need to both train a new generation of workers as well as upskill and reskill the existing workforce to meet the evolving requirements of industry. To achieve this, a strategy needs to be outlined by industry leaders in collaboration with academia and the relevant training providers.”

At the summit, experts from the UK’s advanced manufacturing sector examined key actions that industry should take to upskill the existing workforce. Panellists and speakers included representatives from Schneider Electric, Lloyds Bank, Dell Technologies, Drone Major and Epicor.

Key topics included how automation can supplement the workforce of the future, preparing employees now so that manufacturers can smoothly adopt future technologies.

The annual event was launched in 2021 to offer UK manufacturers a stage to discuss and share best practice, knowledge, and strategic thinking.

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