The manufacturing industry is facing a significant skills gap that threatens productivity, quality and overall industry growth. Three key factors driving this gap are the displacements of experienced workers during the pandemic, the accelerating retirement of experienced workers and the increasing complexity of modern manufacturing equipment and processes. As senior workers leave the workforce, they take with them decades of accumulated knowledge. Meanwhile, the new workers entering the field come from a demographic that expects digital tools that can assist them with daily tasks, making traditional training methods less effective and extending onboarding time.
Connected worker solutions provide a critical bridge for this gap by leveraging digital technologies to enhance workforce capabilities both during the onboarding process and as needed to assist and upskill the workforce during daily operations. Here are eight ways connected worker solutions are transforming manufacturing by addressing the skills gap.
1. Accelerating Onboarding of New Hires
Onboarding new employees has traditionally relied upon classroom training or shadowing assignments which have been time-consuming and costly in terms of manpower. Connected worker solutions streamline this process by providing easier access to self-guided training combined with on-the-spot digital work instructions. Onboarding programs leveraging connected worker solutions supplement initial training with interactive digital training modules, and may also include augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) simulations. These tools enable new hires to learn faster by offering more flexible, engaging access to training and hands-on experiences in a controlled, risk-free environment. As a result, manufacturers can reduce onboarding time and ensure workers are productive sooner.
2. Delivering On-the-Spot Work Guidance
Rather than relying on paper manuals or long periods of time shadowing senior workers for instructions, frontline workers can access real-time digital guidance through mobile devices, wearables, or smart glasses. QR codes or IoT-enabled sensors can trigger step-by-step instructions at the point of need, reducing errors and increasing efficiency. This on-demand guidance ensures workers have immediate access to the information required to perform their tasks correctly.
3. Fostering Skills Development with On-Demand Training
In today’s fast-paced environment, continuous learning is essential. Connected worker platforms provide microlearning modules, video tutorials, and interactive guides that workers can access anytime. These tools support ongoing skills development and reinforce best practices without requiring time away from work for traditional classroom training. Supervisors can more easily and effectively mentor workers by encouraging or assigning the workers to engage in specific training modules. Gamification elements, such as progress tracking and achievement badges, further enhance worker engagement and retention. In addition, many solutions can provide visibility to management of worker course completions and skills attainment, enabling more effective application of workforce resources.
4. Automating Repetitive Data Collection Tasks
Manual data collection is prone to errors and inefficiencies, both on the part of workers who often see these tasks as extra work, and on the part of administrative staff who are needed to data enter hurriedly scribbled paper checklists and data forms. Digital tools can simplify the collection of data on the frontline and automate the capture of that data, reducing paperwork and freeing up workers to focus on higher-value tasks. Connected worker solutions may also leverage IoT-enabled devices to automatically log operational or equipment performance metrics, completely eliminating any need for worker input. Automated data collection also ensures more accurate and timely reporting, leading to better decision-making and improved compliance.
5. Providing Easier, Faster Communication and Collaboration
Effective communication is crucial in manufacturing environments. Connected worker software offers instant messaging and collaboration platforms that enable workers to communicate more easily. Some connected worker platforms also offer alerts, notifications, reminders and task assignments, further improving communications and streamlining daily work tasks. These tools empower frontline workers to connect with remote experts, supervisors, or team members to highlight and resolve issues quickly. Digital shift handover logs ensure smooth transitions between shifts and minimize knowledge loss.
6. Enabling a Safer Workplace Across All Skill Levels
Worker safety is a top priority, and connected worker solutions can play a significant role in preventing accidents that may occur due to lack of experience. Digital safety checks can help workers spot and quickly report potential risks. Wearable sensors can monitor worker conditions, such as fatigue levels or exposure to hazardous substances, and issue real-time alerts when safety thresholds are exceeded. Automated notifications for potential risks—such as equipment malfunctions or environmental hazards—help ensure a safer work environment across all skill levels.
7. Supporting Knowledge Retention and Transfer
As experienced workers retire, capturing and retaining their knowledge is crucial. Digital repositories created through connected worker messaging, work instructions and training allow workers to contribute to the documentation of best practices, troubleshooting steps, and operational insights for future reference. AI-powered search functions make retrieving this information quick and efficient, ensuring that valuable expertise remains accessible to new generations of workers.
8. Enhancing Quality Control and Compliance
Maintaining consistent product quality is essential in manufacturing. Connected worker solutions can integrate digital inspection tools and automated checklists to help workers identify defects in real time. Digitalized quality processes enable easier, faster quality checks by both workers and quality specialists. Digitalized defect data delivers instant visibility to production quality, enabling faster recognition of production issues and quicker response with corrective actions. Some connected worker platforms can also create a closed loop system for engaging production teams to address and correct defects as they are identified with work notifications and tasks automatically generated by the connected worker solution. These technologies can help reduce the likelihood of human error, facilitate compliance to quality processes, and as a result, improve overall product quality.
Leveraging Technology To Address A Changing Workforce Landscape
Brought on by the displacement of skilled workers during the pandemic, the increase in retirement rates for experienced workers and a tight labor market, the skills gap in manufacturing poses significant challenges. Traditional training and mentoring methods are no longer capable of effectively overcoming the skills gaps, but connected worker solutions offer a powerful way to address them. By leveraging digital tools to accelerate onboarding, provide real-time guidance, support continuous learning, and enhance safety and quality, manufacturers can future-proof their workforce. Investing in connected worker solutions not only improves productivity but also creates a more engaged, skilled, and adaptable workforce—essential for success in the evolving manufacturing landscape.
