Four exclusive insights on Industry 4.0 and the workforce from the AMHUB Workforce Working group. June 2021.
FOUR FOR 4.0: INDUSTRY 4.0 EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS
World Economic Forum’s Advanced Manufacturing Hub (AMHUB) for Michigan
Workforce Working Group | June 2021
The Advanced Manufacturing Hub (AMHUB) for Michigan is a multi-stakeholder collaborative ecosystem focused on positioning Michigan as a global leader for advanced manufacturing, established jointly by Automation Alley and the World Economic Forum. The Michigan AMHUB is part of the World Economic Forum’s Global Network of AMHUBs.
The Global Network of AMHUBs uses the Forum's platform to aggregate and accelerate regional efforts to adapt to the future of advanced manufacturing and production and highlight key regional case examples on the global stage, while creating a feedback loop wherein best practices from around the world are conveyed to the regional level to further amplify the impact potential of this network. By working together, new and existing players can enable their regional ecosystems to innovate to remain competitive—something no company, organization or entity can do alone.
The June 2021 Michigan AMHUB Workforce meeting focused on addressing expected post-pandemic manufacturing labor challenges as the U.S. economy reopens, adjusts to hybrid learning and workplace environments, and rapidly evolving technologies.
Below are four key takeaways.
Market Uptick Requires Staffing Up:
According to a recent survey by the Original Equipment Supplier Association (OESA), 200 respondents in the auto supply community revealed that labor availability was among the greatest threats to industry over the next 12 months. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as manufacturing facilities shut down, we saw a very low need for talent. Fast forward to the second quarter of 2021, there is a much more competitive need for talent, not only in advanced manufacturing and technology, but across multiple industries. The need for talent will continuing to grow as we look beyond the pandemic—
and opportunities are rich. Attracting students to exciting opportunities in manufacturing, focusing on STEM and skilled trades, and connecting students and workers to jobs virtually will all be critical hurdles to overcome as a state and a nation.
All Fields are STEM Fields:
According to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 2030 Vision, by 2026, science and engineering jobs are predicted to grow by 13% compared with 7% growth in the overall U.S. workforce. Yet, even as STEM competencies have become more essential, U.S. K-12 mathematics and science scores are well below those of many other nations and have stagnated. In addition, NSF notes that women and minorities remain inadequately represented in science and engineering relative to their proportions in the U.S. population. To remain globally competitive, it is imperative the current and future workforce understands the changing dynamics of work brought on by Industry 4.0. Today, all skilled trades are STEM fields, and all manufacturing workers will require STEM education.
Industry + Education is a Formula for Success:
Early engagement with and awareness of manufacturing jobs is critical to the success of the manufacturing talent pipeline. Industry and academia should work together to reimage manufacturing jobs as high-tech and highly skilled. To produce world-class talent, STEM curriculum must be broadly implemented into K-12 classrooms. In addition, industry and academia must collaborate at all levels of education and adjust curriculum based on the ever-evolving needs of manufacturing. Imbedding classroom projects that are industry related and reaching students early with internships and apprenticeships is a win-win proposition for U.S. manufacturing. However, these practices will not be enough to ensure our nation’s continued prosperity. New education models will be required to keep pace with the rapidly changing Industry 4.0 ecosystem. This should include agile development, stackable certificates, educational boot camps and offering short-term, intense training designed to lead directly to employment in manufacturing fields.
Don’t Count Out Adult Learners:
Digital transformation requires the up-skilling and re-skilling of the current workforce, while also providing educational opportunities to underserved populations. The future social and economic success of our state and nation will be dependent on our ability to bring a diverse workforce of people from differing backgrounds to better understand STEM and how to implement it every day. According to leaders in higher education, an estimated 690,000 adults in the Detroit metropolitan area have some college education but no degree. Industry and academia must work together to provide these individuals, who could be missing as little as one credit, debt forgiveness and other avenues to foster learning, degree completion and job placement.
Workforce Working Group Participants:
Clay Phillips, SRI International
Cynthia Hutchison, Automation Alley
Nicole Kampe, Automation Alley
Dan Friz, Sharp Tooling Solutions
Dan Garrison, Accenture
Dan Stewart, Automation Alley
Dr. Ora Pescovitz, Oakland University
Emily Krawcxyk, Sharp Tooling Solutions
Greg Melling, Unity3d
Gregor Reischle, TÜV SÜD
Jake Hall, Feyen Zylstra
Joseph Petrosky , Oakland Community College
Kyoung-yun Joseph Kim, Wayne State University
Lisa Arafune, Additive Manufacturing Coalition
Ron J Stefanski, Centric Learning
Roy Barnes, University of Michigan
Scott Ellsworth, Accenture
Scott Feldman, Accenture
Wayne Thibodeau, Oakland University
