June 2019

59 www.drivesncontrols.com June 2019 GAMBICA SUPPLEMENT n more young people studying the STEM subjects that will equip them for a fulfilling career in industry – the same skills that will also help to protect their working futures from robots and computers, whatever career path they follow. Let’s not forget that automation is not only an industrial phenomenon. For the UK, in particular, if this new generation can be representative of the population by gender and background, it will have a further advantage in the future. It’s known and accepted (as well as being common sense) that diverse workforces make better decisions – up to 87% of the time, according to Forbes. But we can’t wait for a new generation, even if we are able to inspire them. And it bears mentioning that despite efforts and useful projects to help encourage the uptake of STEM subjects, we’ve not yet made much progress in that regard. No, there’s a clear and present need within industry right now. What we at Rockwell Automation observe is that a lack of available skills is already a drag on the adoption of new technologies here in the UK. Which brings me to another little paradox. In the age of digital transformation, the most important asset of all is the human one. We live our brand promise at Rockwell Automation – to use technology to help expand human possibility. As the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation, at a global level, that human possibility refers to the great challenges of our times – clean energy, global warming, finite resources, and increasing populations. But, importantly, we see digital transformation technology and automation as being an enabler to the people of industry. A tool for the workforce – the human element – that can be used to overcome those challenges. We see it as a tool for human creativity and endeavour. A tool to help people do what they do best: to find problems, analyse them, and create solutions that resolve them. All of this may sound grandiose, but it is applicable at every level. For UK industry to resolve our productivity puzzle, companies of all sizes must invest in their workforces. Lifelong learning must become the norm, rather than the exception. We must unlock the potential not only of the next generation, but of all of us working in industry right now. Supporting workers in career progression, providing training for them to move up the value chain; these are the approaches that can help to bridge the skills gap. And no-one knows the requirements of a company, its values, principles, challenges and solutions better than its own best asset – its people. Leadership in a time of rapid technological evolution is not just a case of overcoming the technical challenges of implementing new system. Iit’s about unlocking the potential of people. It’s about providing the tools for every person to grow within the business, to become more productive. It’s about getting involved with local schools and inspiring the next generation. It’s about expanding the human possibility right in front of us. n