The Manufacturer and workforce management company, Kronos UK, have launched a survey in order to assess the impact of fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies on the current and future' workforce.
There are two fundamental challenges facing manufacturing businesses as they embrace the exciting future represented by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Firstly, how to adapt their existing staff to the new working environments made possible by 4IR, and secondly, where to find the workforce of the future, considering predictions that the UK we will need some 182,000 new engineering recruits annually, but will only be able to educate 69,000.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. Your comments will be a valuable contribution to the debate over the UK’s changing industrial landscape. We will be collating the results into a report that will be published later this year.
You can find the survey here.
One of the consequences of the connected workplace is the sheer volume of data being produced. There are systems to manage the data produced by the machines, but it is debatable whether manufacturers have considered how to measure the way their workers are adapting to the new environment in which they are being asked to work.
Manufacturers will also have to consider the fact that younger employees will expect their working environment to be as technically responsive as their social life, where social media and instant-response apps offer them an unparalleled level of convenience. Adaptable employers who offer their employees levels of flexibility and control will be the ones most likely to register greater engagement with their workforce than those who insist on a more traditional structure.
And in an environment where we as a nation are not producing enough skilled employees for the future, retention of top performers will become a significant policy priority for companies.
Resolving these challenges is at the forefront of efforts by Kronos to encourage awareness among manufacturers of the human element of the new technology-driven manufacturing landscape. Therefore, The Manufacturer, in association with Kronos, has developed a comprehensive survey aimed at discovering the depth of preparation among UK companies for the human impact of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
