It’s no secret that many industries are facing a critical skills shortage.
According to Make UK, more than a third (36%) of manufacturing vacancies are proving ‘hard to fill’ and the recent CSN Industry Outlook for 2023-2027 reported an additional 225,000 workers will be needed to meet construction demand by 2027, in the UK alone.
According to industry sources, factors including an uptick in the number of people retiring post-Covid is to blame, along with fewer people entering industry. And, while sector leaders are working hard to find ways to tackle the problem, employers are continuing to find it difficult to find and retrain the right people to fill their roles.
So what part does digitalisation have to play in addressing the challenge?
Capturing talent
By its very nature, workflow technology such as WorkfloPlus allows companies to capture any process and record it digitally for others to follow – and the knowledge and techniques of older more experienced workers is no exception.
By placing the workforce at the heart of digitalisation and giving workers the chance to input into how work processes are created and carried out, businesses have the opportunity to harness the knowledge of workers who’ve been with them the longest, for the benefit of younger and more tech-savvy employees.
From the tried-and-tested methods that workers have created themselves to carry out tasks more efficiently, to the wealth of insight and expertise they’ve accumulated over the years – all of this can be stored digitally for the purposes of upskilling and training the next wave of industry talent.
Cerys Middle, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, supports this point, saying: “It's opened up our eyes to different ways of working.There’s a lot of the older generation in Welsh Water, and WorkfloPlus is helping to secure their input into the future.”
Creating a digital draw
Millennials and Gen-Z workers want a workplace that enables them to integrate digital technologies into their roles, such as video learning or hands-free devices for example, rather than physical manuals or clipboards.
Platforms such as WorkfloPlus enable employees to use wearable technology and use voice control. Augmented Reality (AR) can be integrated with the software and attached to safety helmets, enabling employees to watch training videos, access manuals, view mechanical drawings, and even contact experts for advice and guidance.
By investing in these technologies, businesses are not only creating more efficient ways of working - they are also creating a skills hub for the next generation of employees and a workplace that will stand out from the crowd when trying to recruit younger team members.
For further information about WorkfloPlus, visit https://www.intoware.com/workfloplus
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