5 steps to develop, train and retain your industrial workforce

Dec. 6, 2019
In this article series, we explore the widening skills gap, evolutions in industrial training and how new technologies are changing workforce development as we know it.

Back to school, everybody! Not just the usual students or the hoped-for, next-generation of process engineers and operators. Everybody—including all veterans not yet retiring.

Future professionals are still desperately needed to replace their rapidly retiring counterparts. However, the well-known brain drain is being compounded by technical changes like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industry 4.0, cybersecurity and other forms of digitalization, which are evolving and taking over so fast that no one has enough experienced personnel or rookies with the skills to keep up and apply them in their regular operations. Even Amazon reported in July that it plans to spend $700 million to teach 100,000 employees to write software and provide IT support by 2025. 

Consequently, where continuing education used to be a nice enrichment option for some process industry staffers, it's quickly becoming an imperative for all technical professionals. Everyone and every organization needs to identify their increasingly widening skills gaps, and learn how to fill them. Time to grow your own with what you've got.

4 methods to help close the skills gap
Everyone and every organization needs to identify their increasingly widening skills gaps, and learn how to fill them.

How to attract and retain the next generation of workers
To attract and retain millennial-age engineers and operators, many employers acknowledge they must adjust their traditional strategies and requirements.

Turning institutional knowledge into plant systems
Workforces can be stabilized by using process control carefully.

Why soft skills are just as important as technical skills
Interpersonal communications are needed for collaboration inside and outside the plant.

Wanted: Critical thinker for an ever-changing workplace
Sometimes people and companies must unlearn and throw out what they've done before to reveal what they can do and need to do.

Sponsored Recommendations

Limitations of MERV Ratings for Dust Collector Filters

Feb. 23, 2024
It can be complicated and confusing to select the safest and most efficient dust collector filters for your facility. For the HVAC industry, MERV ratings are king. But MERV ratings...

The Importance of Air-To-Cloth Ratio when Selecting Dust Collector Filters

Feb. 23, 2024
Selecting the right filter cartridges for your application can be complicated. There are a lot of things to evaluate and consider...like air-to-cloth ratio. When your filters ...

ASHRAE Standard 199 for Evaluating Dust Collection Systems

Feb. 23, 2024
This standard ensures dust collection systems are tested under real-world conditions, measuring a dust collector's emissions, pressure drop, and compressed air usage. Learn why...

Dust Collector Explosion Protection

Feb. 23, 2024
Combustible dust explosions are a serious risk, and an unprotected dust collection system can be a main cause. Learn what NFPA-compliant explosion protection you need to keep ...