{"id":196062,"date":"2024-10-08T12:42:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T16:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fiixdev.wpengine.com\/?p=196062"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:20:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:20:45","slug":"strategies-to-address-skills-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fiixsoftware.com\/blog\/strategies-to-address-skills-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategies to Address the Skills Gap in Manufacturing and Maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"

In recent years manufacturers and by extension, maintenance teams, have faced a series of challenges from pandemics, supply chain slowdowns, and now a demand for skills in the workforce that are difficult to come by. At the same time Industry 4.0 technologies (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a>\u2014such as automation, IoT, AI, and advanced robotics (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> have streamlined many production processes, and the demand for skilled workers who can operate, maintain, and optimize these systems has subsequently increased.<\/p>\n

It’s become clear that there’s a widening gap in skills for manufacturers aiming to remain competitive. But without a workforce that’s knowledgeable in digital tools and systems, operational efficiency, productivity, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> are at risk.<\/p>\n

In this blog we will address the current skills gap facing manufacturers and maintenance teams and provide solutions to upskill the current workforce, and strategies to address skill gap challenges.<\/p>\n

What is the skills gap and why has it become critical?<\/h2>\n

The skills gap refers to the issue surrounding current labor markets where finding workers who have the manual, operational, and technical skills necessary to work in manufacturing and by extension, maintenance has become tiresome and difficult. According to our State of Smart Manufacturing (2024) (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/a> report, attracting new employees with desired skillsets has become the number one obstacle manufacturers are facing in terms of their growth. Additionally, in the previous year’s report (2023), 84% of respondents identified employee retention as their top obstacle. This data tells us that not only has the demand for skilled workers increased, so has the desire to retain these workers.<\/p>\n

The skills gap has then slowly creeped up to becoming a big concern as of late. Some of the key reasons why are:<\/p>\n

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Rapid technological advancements:<\/strong> Industry 4.0 has introduced things like automation, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and predictive maintenance (PdM)<\/a>. These things require a workforce that’s knowledgeable in data analytics, machine learning (ML), and machine operation. Many workers, however, lack the skills to manage and maintain these systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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An aging workforce:<\/strong> A big portion of the manufacturing and by extension maintenance workforce is nearing retirement. As these skilled workers leave, there’s a shortage of younger workers to fill their roles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Lack of necessary training and documentation:<\/strong> Without proper training programs and up-to-date documentation, current employees cannot effectively operate and maintain advanced systems. There’s also the challenge of little to no team members available to train new employees who are onboarding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Declining interest in trades and technical education:<\/strong> There’s been a societal shift that emphasizes college and university degrees over vocational training and technical careers. As a result, fewer young people are pursuing the skills needed for manufacturing and maintenance roles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As these challenges merge, the skills gap becomes an important factor in the disruption of daily operations. It also jeopardizes long-term competitiveness in a changing industrial landscape, and also causes a productivity decrease and safety risk.<\/p>\n

“The challenges teams are facing today in terms of skills gap causes a lot of disruption. For one thing, there’s a decline in productivity that’s a result of limited knowledge and expertise, then there’s the inability to use any new technologies since workers aren’t trained or skilled in them,” says Jason Afara<\/a>, our Director of Solutions Consultants. He adds: “There’s also safety considerations, like the improper use of machines and equipment, failure to follow safety protocols, risk of equipment failure…all of these things tie back to the skills gap.” A final point Jason highlights is that the skills gap also puts additional strain on your best team members, since the team is often going to them to do more.<\/p>\n

With so many risks to consider, what can teams do to mitigate and manage the challenges quickly?<\/p>\n

“Well, the good news is there’s lots of ways to manage the skills gap, and we’re in the age of AI. Teams can start using AI to track data, retain knowledge, and manage processes,” says Jason. He adds: “We already do this on our CMMS for maintenance teams and have a knowledge repository for assets so that things don’t get lost if a skilled worker leaves or isn’t available.”<\/p>\n

Jasons points present an interesting solution for manufacturers and maintenance teams to consider when addressing the skills gap. Leveraging technology like AI has grown in popularity, in fact, according to our State of Smart Manufacturing (2024) report, manufacturers believe that GenAI or casual AI is the #1 technology to address workforce challenges. Additionally, 83% of respondents anticipate using GenAI, making it the #1 on the list of technological investments for 2024.<\/p>\n

Discover how new technologies like AI benefit your team (opens in new tab)<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Solutions for upskilling the current workforce<\/h2>\n

Aside from leveraging AI, there are many different solutions to upskill the current workforce, one of the most obvious is for organizations to invest in training and development. This can take many different forms but the best steps to follow are:<\/p>\n