High Demand for "Robotics Skills" in Post-Corona Recovery
August 06, 2020
News
By 2022, an operational stock of almost 4 million industrial robots are expected to work in factories worldwide.
By 2022, an operational stock of almost 4 million industrial robots are expected to work in factories worldwide. These robots will play a role in automating production to speed up the post-Corona economy. At the same time, robots are driving demand for skilled workers. Educational systems must adjust to this demand, says the International Federation of Robotics.
According to the “automation readiness index” published by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), only four countries have established mature education policies to deal with the challenges of an automated economy. South Korea is the category leader, followed by Estonia, Singapore, and Germany. Countries like Japan, the US, and France are developed, and China was ranked as emerging. The EIU summed up the order of the day for governments: more study, multi-stakeholder dialogue and international knowledge sharing.
How to change hiring
On a company level, change hiring is an option as a short-term strategy: “If you can´t find the experienced people, you have to break down your hiring practices to skill sets and not titles,” advised Dr. Byron Clayton, as CEO of Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) at the IFR Roundtable in Chicago. “You have to hire more for potential. If you can´t find the person who is experienced, then you have to find a person that has potential to learn that job.”
Education of the workforce
Robot suppliers support the education of the workforce with practice-oriented training. “Re-training the existing workforce is only a short-term measure. We must already start way earlier – curriculum for schools and undergraduate education need to match the demand of the industry for the workforce of the future. Demand for technical and digital skills is increasing, but equally important are cognitive skills like problem-solving and critical thinking,” says Dr. Susanne Bieller, IFR´s General Secretary. “Economies must embrace automation and build the skills required to profit - otherwise they will be at a competitive disadvantage.”
IFR Executive Round Table - December 8–11– 2020 automatica in Munich
The topic “Next Generation Workforce - Upskilling for Robotics" will be discussed by the IFR Executive Round Table on December 9 at the world’s leading trade fair for smart automation and robotics “automatica” in Munich.
For more information, visit: https://www.ifr.org/
Tiera Oliver is the assistant managing editor at Embedded Computing Design. She is responsible for web content editing, product news, and story development. She also manages, edits, and develops content for ECD podcasts, including Embedded Insiders.
She utilizes her expertise in journalism and content management to oversee editorial content, coordinate with editors, and ensure high-quality output across web, print, and multimedia platforms. She manages diverse projects, assists in the production of digital magazines, and hosts company podcasts by conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders to deliver engaging and insightful discussions.
Tiera attended Northern Arizona University, where she received her bachelor's in journalism and political science. She was also a news reporter for the student-led newspaper, The Lumberjack.
