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· Manufacturers
must up-skill their existing workforce to survive in the new
digital age
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· Just 32% of
manufacturers have a proper workforce plan in place to make the
most of their employees as business changes
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· The National
Retraining Scheme must prioritise workers with existing
transferable skills who will be best able to adapt to the
digital technologies of the future in sectors
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· The
Apprenticeship Levy must be reformed to face the future
challenges of digitalisation and Al.
Manufacturers will have to raise their
game to use their shrinking workforce
better and smarter to cope in an ever-changing world of automated
technologies, according to new research by EEF, the
manufacturers’ organisation.
Business leaders will have to be more innovative in their use of
the existing employees by implementing retraining schemes in key
development areas such as AI and digital innovation. This must be
done at speed to combat the shrinking talent pool.
Initiating a proper workforce plan - which analyses employees’
skills and where they can be used to best effect – ensures the
best use of available human capital. This will become ever more
important in the face of increased restrictions on EU workers
post-Brexit, according to EEF’s latest
report Reinventing the Manufacturing
Workforce. A properly thought out workforce plan
also helps identify those employees which will benefit most from
the opportunity to retrain and up-skill in the latest digital
technologies.
However only 32% of manufacturers surveyed had a workforce
plan (a plan with measurable actions that align the changing
needs of the business with their people strategy) in place, while
almost two-thirds (64%) did not.
The report reveals that 69% of those surveyed said that the
adoption of new technologies and techniques is driving the
priorities of their workforce plan, while nearly half (44%) said
that the introduction of new products is the main driver for
change in workforce practices.
To prepare to secure the skills they need for the future a
heartening 72% of businesses revealed that they are introducing
or continuing to run formal apprenticeships, while half (48%) are
revising their recruitment strategy to recruit workers from other
industries and sectors with transferable skills.
Others are introducing or continuing with popular graduate
programmes to grab the best potential talent while just over a
quarter (26%) are revising their workforce plan.
Flexible ways of working have already been adopted by all but 15%
of manufacturers to non-production employees and 7% to their
production employees, which has helped to retain existing
employees (74%) and also attract prospective employees (56%).
, Director of Employment and
Skills at EEF said:
“Manufacturers are facing both a turbulent but also
revolutionary time. Brexit is now on the horizon, bringing with
it challenges around access to people. Planning for these changes
is vital, yet only a relatively small number of manufacturers
have a workforce plan in place.
“Planning is crucial not just to prepare for these challenges
but also to take advantage of future opportunities. Technological
change has the potential to radically change the workplace in
ways never before seen. People will be at the heart of this,
adapting not only to new ways of working, but also to new work,
requiring a step change in the way employers train their
workforce and deploy their skills.
“Manufacturers have over time proved themselves to be
adaptable, innovative and resilient. They have the tools and
talent to make to make a success of the rapidly changing work
they face, but they need government’s backing in creating the
right business environment and developing policies within which
they can thrive.
