Last week we defined the generations of manufacturing and discussed the industry’s digital transformation. This week, we examine Generation Three of manufacturing (Intelligent Systems, AI) and its future impact on the manufacturing workforce.

Manufacturers are already battling against growing talent shortages, as they struggle to find people with the right blend of technical and soft skills to fill open job vacancies. As we enter the third generation of manufacturing (AI and Intelligent Systems), these challenges are only set to worsen – unless action is taken now.

The Impact on Workers: How People Can Catch the Shift

In 2020, we expect Generation Three to become mainstream as technology becomes more widely available and machines become more intelligent – catalyzing a new generation of roles where management is necessary for these highly connected technologies. Navigating this rapid change will be far easier if employers, educators, and policymakers collaborate on strategies to prepare both the current and future workforce for this continuous change. No one can predict the future, but with the right skills and a culture of learnability, we can be better prepared.

It’s clear that manufacturers need new ways of upskilling employees at speed and scale in order to develop the talent they need to remain competitive. What’s more, as machines become more intelligent and connected, manufacturers will be challenged to find the right blend of people and technology for their operations.

A New Approach to Upskilling

To upskills tomorrow’s manufacturing talent at speed and scale, we need a new approach to training.

In the Supply Chain sector, we can see a similar shift in the disruption and digitization of this industry – new roles are being created faster than employers can upskill their current talent.

To help develop local talent for roles employers cannot fill, Manpower partnered with Red Deer College and the Government of Alberta to launch a first-of-its-kind program in 2019, CareerMOVES, a program to upskill unemployed Albertan’s for in-demand, highly specialized roles in the Supply Chain Industry. This accelerated learning is delivered to participants through an innovative combination of classroom learning, hands on training and soft skills coaching. This 14-week program leads into a 4-week internship with one Alberta’s leading Supply Chain employers and trains participants upon emerging technologies such as AI, Blockchain, and Data Analytics.

With the technological challenges the manufacturing industry is currently facing, now is more critical than ever to build the talent necessary for the future generation of manufacturing: Generation 3.

Check in next week for our segment on Baby Boomer retirement and the oncoming skills gap.

For more insight into ManpowerGroup’s: The Future Factory, read the full report here.

The last couple of weeks, we talked about the growing skills gap in Canada’s Tech sector. Today, we examine that skills gap and the way relates to manufacturing with the increased digitization of this industry.

Digitization, automation and transformation are impacting every industry, disrupting skills and creating new jobs. Manufacturing is the vanguard, with new roles appearing as fast as others become obsolete.

Manufacturers are reporting growing talent shortages as they struggle to find the right blend of technical and soft skills to fill new positions. The catalyst for the early stages of this skills shift was automation – machine strength. Now sector-wide transformation has been turbocharged by the Internet of Things, the digitally connected enterprise, the relentless expansion of data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to handle the scope of the challenge – machine thinking.

Digital Transformation: Generations Of Manufacturing

Manufacturing has undergone many transformations, from dirty, dark and dangerous to advanced, digital and connected. At Manpower, we have mapped four technical generations of manufacturing – Generations Zero to Three. Today we are on the cusp of the third generation, characterized by the transformational power of radical improvements in connected systems and machine learning. In 2020, we expect Generation Three to become mainstream as technology becomes more widely available, and machines become more intelligent, teaching and learning from each other.

Each generation is aligned to different eras of manufacturing tools, technologies and work.

Generation Zero refers to conventional manufacturing, spanning the first seven decades of the 20^th century.

Generation One – the 35 years from 1970 to 2005 – was ushered in by new hardware and software systems that rapidly improved processes through automation.

Today we are the tail end of Generation Two – characterized by the transformational power of radical improvements in software. This has streamlined processes, using data far more effectively.

The next shift is to Generation Three. The rate of change is accelerating rapidly. It took nearly three-quarters of a century to move on from Gen Zero, yet the next shift was achieved in half that time. Gen Two began in 2005 and by 2020, we expect to be fully immersed in Gen Three.

Check in next week for Part 2 of our Manufacturing series on how digitization is impacting this industry’s workforce.

For more information on Manufacturing: The Future Factory and the digitization of this industry, read ManpowerGroups full report here: https://bit.ly/2nUhZ0p

Last week we examined Calgary’s growing skills gap in the technology sector. This week, we congratulate our TechCareers students on their newly completed training, facilitating the growth of Tech talent and industry in Alberta.

“The province is in a tricky position. The need for new skill sets are emerging faster than traditional programming can always respond,” says Lora Bucsis, Manager of Emerging Markets in Corporate Training.

Earlier this month, our second class of TechCareers students graduated from their 17 weeks of intensive technical training at SAIT Polytechnic.

As many transitioning Calgarian professionals, this group of 38 students, entered into the TECHCareers program with education and experience in STEM focused areas (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and are now leaving our program with complementary training to an already diverse skillset.

Equipped with extensive skills in Python, HTML, PHP, SQL, CSS, C#, Network Design, Cloud Computing and much more – both our software developers and network specialists are on to complete eight weeks of employment experience with local tech industry leaders.

To our graduates – we would like to recognize and congratulate you on completing this important milestone, working hard and exceeding expectations. From Manpower and the TechCareer’s program, we are excited to see the advancement of your technical skill sets and the impacts you will make in Alberta’s Tech Industry. Let’s all give our graduates a round of applause for their hard work!

Check in next week for our segment on technology and its impact on the future of manufacturing.

Learn more about how Manpower’s TECHCareers program is working towards solving Alberta’s technology skills gap here: http://www.techcareers.ca/

Calgary is suffering from a significant “skills gap.” The city is home to nearly 225,000 professionals with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) backgrounds, according to a report conducted by ICTC Canada in partnership with CED. It has the most highly educated population in the country, and yet many employers cannot find employees with the digital skills they need.

In the last few years, thousands of employees were displaced in Alberta due to the downturn in Energy sector. The good news is many of these displaced employees have significant retraining opportunities in emerging technologies due to transferrable skills found in geoscientists and engineers.

For example, according to CED/ICTC’s report, the average geoscientist has nearly 60 per cent of the core skills and competencies needed to become a data analyst, while the average chemical engineer has nearly 40% skills to become a Software Developer.

Namir Anani, president and CEO of ICTC Canada, said “[We] have the largest number of engineers per capita in Canada,” he said. “It is a gold mine to attract the businesses of the future, if we can figure out how to pivot this environment and get oil and gas workers into the future.”

In 2018, Manpower partnered with SAIT Polytechnic to launch the retraining and development program: TECHCareers. Fully funded by the Government of Alberta, this program aims to narrow the skills gap in Alberta’s workforce by offering 26-weeks of compressed accelerated training in Software Development and offer solutions to both Alberta’s workforce and local employers by providing students with an eight-week internship.

“advancement of technology skills is critical to meeting the needs of Alberta’s economy. SAIT is proud to be partnering on the TECHCareers program, increasing access to education that will accelerate the growth of tech talent to meet the needs of our workforce.”-Dr. Raynie Wood/Dean of the School of Information and Communication Tech, SAIT.

With the challenging few years Alberta has faced with the loss of oil revenues, now is more critical than ever to ensure the advancement of our tech sector. With a focus on retaining and retraining Alberta’s already skilled workforce, we can guarantee a bright future for this provinces job market, economy, and development.

Read CED/ICTC’s full report on Calgary’s digital economy here: https://bit.ly/2LVVm5s

Learn more about how TECHCareers is solving Alberta’s skills gap here: http://www.techcareers.ca/

The employment market being what it has been for the last few years has clearly changed the responsibilities and duties of my previous position as a proposal coordinator; archaic even with a college diploma and over 15 years of experience. Employers now have a broader candidate pool with even more updated skills.

I had been unemployed for several months. Started a part-time job in a grocery store near by my home. It’s convenient, totally different from what I am used to, but not necessarily what I am looking for.

I felt like I wasn’t needed, worthless and too old to get back in the game competing against a younger crowd. I had hit bottom, my happiness and joie de vive took a dive.

And then one day, my friend told me that she was going to take this funded program at SAIT called emPower, Women In Trades! I told her good for you! Her reply was: “why don’t you come, you got nothing to lose but time! Think about it.”

The next week, there were still some seats available. My friend passed me Natalie Smith’s contact information and I registered. I didn’t know what I was getting into at that point, but boy am I happy I did!

Coming into the emPOWER program was one of the best things that could have happened to me. It gave me that little boost of confidence I needed, it made me feel like I have purpose and am not too old to learn and carry on. I cherish every moment spent with the group. We encourage, support each other, and understand each and everyone’s trials and tribulations without judgment.

So far, I have learned to appreciate the trades and realize that I could have done this a long time ago. I realized that being back in school after 3.5 decades, that my brain is still functional and all that paying attention in class is paying off!

I want to thank Tara Ursulescu, emPOWER manager, Natalie Smith emPOWER coordinator, SAIT, and every woman in our class for this experience! Let’s do this!

Visit our website empowerab.ca for more information on this amazing program.

Women account for less than 5% of the trades workforce at a time when North America faces a talent shortage in the Trades Industry.

Traditionally, the trades have been male-dominated but more and more women are finding opportunities in trades like woodworking, scaffolding, ironwork and gone are the days when women’s options were limited to trades related to cooking, home economics or hair styling.

Attracting women to the trades not only ensures diversity and inclusivity, it also assists employers in covering the acute skills shortage in the industry as Baby Boomers retire.

In March, Manpower Alberta partnered with SAIT to launch emPOWER, a 15-week cost-free, government-funded program designed to help unemployed or marginally employed women develop the skills to seek employment in the trades. It aims to promote diversity in the world of trades and sets women on the path to an apprenticeship.

“I have always loved the hands-on jobs or projects around the house, with friends and family. So why not look into the Trades?” Shelley, an emPOWER client said.

Like many others in the program, Shelley had no prior experience with trades, she had worked in the retail industry for ten years before she came across this Manpower program.

“The take away for me has been utterly positive, profound and inspiring,” Shelley added.

“I only wished that we could have had more time in each class. Now I feel so much more confident, have a newfound strength and empowerment in myself to tackle anything and to find a great job in the Trades. Woodworking, Plumbing, and Welding are my favorites!”

Through emPOWER, participants pursue pre-apprenticeship training in five trades offered by SAIT —including ironworking and heavy equipment technician — and have the opportunity to prepare for the Apprenticeship and Industry Training qualification exam.

They also partake in one week of employment preparation, skills training and 10 weeks of on-site industry-standard skills training provided by SAIT as well as four weeks of work experience placement with a local Trades employer.

Our next emPOWER cohort starts classes on September 9^th, 2019. If you are interested in joining this program or know someone who could benefit from our resources, please reach out to Natalie Smith by phone or email at: 403-437-4953 or natalie.smith@manpower.com.

It’s easy to buy into the hype that new and disruptive technologies — particularly, artificial intelligence (AI) — are job killers. But technology’s power to change the nature of work, and make some jobs obsolete in the process, is nothing new. Neither is the fact that technology can create new markets and career paths — and provide opportunities for workers to be even more productive and innovative.

Of course, to take advantage of the future job trends that these tech advancements will help to create, professionals need to have relevant skills. But how can you know what skills and abilities you’ll need to be marketable in the future? What steps can you take now to “future-proof” your career and decrease the likelihood of being replaced by a machine?

1. ANTICIPATE TECH CHANGES IN YOUR WORKPLACE

One key strategy to future-proof your career is to try to anticipate which technologies your organization is likely to adopt sooner than later.

There are several ways you can do that, from being an astute observer of technology trends in your industry to paying close attention to what leaders at your firm are saying about the company’s goals for digital transformation. For example, there’s a good chance AI solutions are coming to your organization soon: According to a global research study from ManpowerGroup, most companies will be applying advanced AI to almost every function in the next two years.

What’s the next step after you identify some possible tech changes coming to your workplace? A good rule of thumb is that professionals learn how to use at least two new technologies that are likely to become relevant to their profession (some are listed in the study above). Adopting this enterprising and entrepreneurial approach will help you evolve your own career.

If you’re worried about whether you can learn new skills, give yourself more credit. Take your Learnability Quotient Test here to discover your skills learnability.

2. PUT YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT ON THE FRONT BURNER

When businesses adopt new technologies and automate processes and tasks, they free their employees to perform other, more value-adding work. This is a great opportunity for professionals to shine, provided they’re ready to take more responsibility for directing their careers — and are working now to future-proof them.

However, many people don’t take a proactive approach to their career development and planning, and that could easily hurt them in the future. Employees often devote less time to professional development once they are actually in the workforce when this focus should be continuous.

If you feel like you need to jump-start your career development, reach out for help. Talk about your career aspirations with your supervisor, the human resources department, and valued contacts in your professional network, for a start. Participating in professional and industry organizations is another strategy for staying on top of technology and business trends that could impact your job or open doors to appealing new career paths.

If you’re looking for training or career development opportunities, visit our Workforce Development Programs here and find out how Manpower Alberta can help you further your career path.

3. ELEVATE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

If you want to future-proof your career, don’t just focus on growing and refining your technical abilities. The experts agree that “human skills” such as empathy will top the list of vital skills that workers and business leaders will need in the future. And demonstrating other forms of emotional intelligence, such as compassion and the ability to understand nuance, is one area where human workers have their AI counterparts beat — at least, for now.

ManpowerGroup’s research featured in the Humans
Wanted: Robots Need You report found that more than half of U.S. managers (51%) expect the introduction of new technologies in the workplace to drive up demand for stellar soft skills. So, no matter what future job trends unfold, you can bet that employers will still value abilities and qualities such as critical thinking, active listening, problem-solving and, of course, adaptability.

4. NURTURE YOUR INNER LEADER

According to the Humans
Wanted: Robots Need You report, work in the future will be self-driven to a large degree, and also project-driven, digitally lead, and team-oriented. Professionals, to succeed in this environment, will need solid leadership skills to direct themselves, their projects and others.

Take your DigiQuotient test here, and discover your ability to lead in this digital age.

5. BE FLEXIBLE, BOLD, AND OPEN TO NEW WAYS OF WORK

Embracing flexibility is another key to success for professionals in the future workplace. As more organizations digitize and deploy advanced technologies like machine learning and AI to automate basic tasks, including some types of decision making, companies and workers will also start to look at jobs much differently.

You will need to focus on building a solid mix of hard and soft skills if you want to future-proof your career. You’re probably doing that, as these skills are already in demand. Moving forward, you may want to focus on using your critical-thinking abilities to analyze how technology may change your workplace in the near term and spark future job trends. That includes examining how you perform your current work, and whether you could do those processes or tasks differently — and better — by applying new technology.

Will disrupting your own job with technology help to future-proof your career? Quite possibly. You’ll be stepping up to learn valuable skills and experience that can help you anticipate and benefit from future job trends. At the very least, it could help you to avoid being disrupted by digital change unexpectedly.

WORK WITH MANPOWER: ALBERTA’S LEADING STAFFING AGENCY

As one of Alberta’s leading staffing agencies, Manpower Alberta prioritizes data driven research into Canada’s workforce.

For an in-depth look into Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton’s hiring trends, please reference our Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) for Q3, 2019.

Are you looking for employment? In need of workforce solutions for your industry? Manpower Alberta is here to help.

With convenient locations across Alberta in Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton, we are here to provide solutions to your workforce needs.

Visit our website at manpowerab.com.

Most employers expect overall headcount to increase as a result of digitization, however, the impact varies by function.

IT comes out on top as organizations invest in digital skills, and Frontline & Customer-Facing functions are close behind. In contrast, Administrative & Office functions expect the greatest decreases in headcount as a result of automation.

The rise in consumerism and the value companies now place on customer service and last mile delivery are increasingly evident in a digital world. Roles that are routine or add less value to customers are under greatest threat of automation.

SKILLS LEARNABILITY: MILLENNIALS GOT IT RIGHT

The vast majority of Millennials—93%—see ongoing skills development as an important part of their future careers. They would pay for it personally and give up their own time to do it.

There are however, varying degrees of desire, capability and commitment to learning. Higher learnability correlates strongly with career success—being more educated, better prepared for employment and higher paid. What’s more, people with high learnability tend to continue learning, so the benefits grow over time.

In the past, employers had more time, managers and resources to develop people. Today, they want faster time-to-value and need to move people on and up from Potential to High Learner quicker. Understanding a person’s learnability potential is a key indicator of what they will need to succeed.

WHAT’S YOUR LEARNABILITY POTENTIAL?

Learnability is: “the desire and ability to quickly grow and adapt one’s skill set to remain employable throughout their working life.”

Here at Manpower, we designed The Learnability Quotient test.

This test represents a new way for users to assess their learning styles and receive recommendations for how to develop and engage their unique skill sets.

Take your Learnability Quotient test, here.

WANT MORE WORKFORCE INSIGHTS?

As one of Alberta’s leading staffing agencies, Manpower Alberta prioritizes data driven research into Canada’s workforce.

For an in-depth look into Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton’s workforce, please reference our recently released Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) for Q3 2019. View the report here.

Are you looking for employment? Wondering how to attract top talent for your industry? Manpower Alberta can help! With offices in Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton is here to work with your workforce needs.

Visit our website at manpowerab.com.

Demand for tech and digital skills is growing across all functions in Alberta, yet employers place increasing value on human skills as automation scales and machines prove better at routine tasks.

While 40% of organizations say it is difficult to train in-demand technical skills, 41% said it is even harder to teach the soft skills they need such as analytical thinking and communication.

Candidates who can demonstrate higher cognitive skills, creativity and the ability to process complex information, together with adaptability and likeability, can expect greater success throughout their careers.

By 2030, demand for human skills – social and emotional soft skills – will grow across all industries by 26% in the U.S. and by 22% in Europe.

WORK WITH A STAFFING AGENCY TO CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP

To close the skills gap and help Canadians upgrade their skills and widen their job prospects, Manpower Alberta has launched four training and reskilling programs: Opportunities Knock, Career Leap, emPOWER: Women in Trades, and Tech Careers.

With locations in Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer, Manpower Alberta guides eligible associates through soft and hard skills training. Program graduates gain employment in a vast variety of fields from entry-level work to engineers and professionals.

Strength your skills portfolio, expand your career opportunities, and increase your earning potential with a staffing agency.

Visit our Opportunities Knock, Career Leap, emPOWER, and Tech Careers websites for more information on these programs.

All Roads Lead to Learning

Talent shortages are at a 12-year high and new skills are appearing as quickly as the old ones disappear.

By 2022, over half (54%) of all employees will require significant reskilling and upskilling.

Of these, about 35% are expected to require training of up to six months, 9% will take six to 12 months to reskill, and 10% will require additional skills training of more than a year. Learning will be essential.

Your Strategy for the Skills Revolution: Learning

To compete in the Skills Revolution, a culture of learning needs to be promoted in the workforce, career guidance provided, and short, focused upskilling opportunities offered. People need to know how to prepare for the high growth roles of the future and know that they are supported in their learning.

Work with a Recruitment Agency to Upskill

Manpower Alberta offers many short-term upskilling opportunities in the Red Deer, Calgary, and Edmonton area; providing career guidance and supporting individuals in their career growth.

We are more than just a staffing agency; we make sure you are well equipped with the skills required for the future of work.

If you are a recipient of EI, or have been a recipient in the past 5 months, visit our workforce development programs. Our workforce development programs offer support and train unemployed individuals in Alberta, from entry-level skills to engineers and professionals. Let us help you reach your employment goals.

Not a recipient of EI and looking for work Alberta? We can still help! Take a look at our open positions on manpowerab.com or send us an email with your credentials on our job seeker page.

At Manpower Alberta we work with you to match your specific skill set with our current opportunities, free of charge. Work one-on-one with a recruiter on the best strategies on how to gain meaningful employment.

Get on track with a recruitment agency, let Manpower Alberta help you get that first step in your future career.