JULY 20229MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSI've had an opportunity to work with other Fortune 100 organizations to address the digital upskilling challenge and we've co-developed the below methodology: The methodology focuses on the What/How/When/Why associated with upskilling. THE "WHAT": First question to answer is: what skills need to be upskilled? The skills you require will be particular to your firm's needs. For example, a factory full of robots will require different training versus that of a manufacturing site that recently deployed a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Best practice is to leverage baseline digital skills assessments and modify them to your needs. I've found the OECD digital skills assessment results as a good baseline. https://goingdigital.oecd.org/theme/4Working with other global manufacturing firms, we've identified the below skills as key to successfully working in a digital factory: · Software skills · Digital device operations· Web/Internet/Intranet capabilities· Presentation skills· Communication skills · File management skills Develop a process to assess your employees in the critical skills and identify gaps in competency. From experience, there will be a wide range of gaps. Therefore, prioritize to manage expectations and to scope a viable training plan.THE "HOW":Standard practice for factory skills training is to have dedicated training workshops. Specifically, a few hours allocated for workers to listen to presentations on the new skill. Today, this education model does not work. People vary on how they learn. Some people prefer online training, others enjoy reading manuals and some thrive in classroom environments. For digital skills, people want to "touch and engage" with the technology. Employees desire a safe environment to "break" the technology without affecting production. This enables workers to get comfortable using the technology as they learn by doing and breaking.Assess how your employees prefer to learn and ensure options are available.THE "WHEN":During COVID-19, factories that were operating were manufacturing 24/7. In addition to working overtime, employees were asked to learn new Industry 4.0 skills. No surprise, workers were not proactively upskilling outside of work. Even in today's environment, justifying dedicated time for upskilling is challenging. Digital upskilling requires more frequent time allocations. Employees need time to learn the new skill, practice it and follow up time to redo skills that they did incorrectly. A method that has shown success is "30 min trainings". For example, on Monday a 30-min session is provided to introduce a new skill. Throughout the week, employees are allocated 30-min sessions where they can practice the new skill in a safe environment (a non-production workspace with experts available to assist).THE "WHY":Advising employees that upskilling is required for their current job tasks does not provide the motivation for full engagement. However, partnering with workers to identify how completing digital upskilling would enable career progression does provide the right nudge. Additionally, by providing badges- virtual badge on their online company profile and a physical badge that can be worn- to employees who completed training certifications, we noticed not only an increase in upskilling activities, but also pride. Employees related the expertise recognition as a badge of honor. The insignia also enabled other, less trained employees to identify people who could help them with the new technologies. Digital manufacturing is no longer a future endeavor. Its benefits were proven during COVID-19 and firms are accelerating its deployment. Technology and the enhanced processes enabled by Industry 4.0 will not be the reason for missed ROI, it will be not upskilling employees to benefit from the new digital solutions. To successfully upskill factory employees, ensure workers understand the why, what, how and when associated with gaining the digital skills. Technology and the enhanced processes enabled by Industry 4.0 will not be the reason for missed ROI, it will be not upskilling employees to benefit from the new digital solutions
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