Fill the skills gap: Automation, training, retention
Think Again: Fill the growing manufacturing skills gap with more automation, training, retention, benefits and amenities, according to the Control Engineering Career and Salary Survey, 2022, other research, related articles and a May 25 webcast, “Automation experts wanted: Hire, retain the best.”
With big automation and control challenges, answers are rarely simple. Research suggests filling the growing manufacturing skills gap with more automation, training, retention, benefits and workforce amenities. These are among the suggestions from the Control Engineering Career and Salary Survey, 2022, other Control Engineering research, related articles on the following pages and news on the prior pages. Find more advice in a May 25 webcast, “Automation experts wanted: Hire, retain the best.”
Attract, retain with pay, benefits, environment
Pay well in salary and benefits and pay attention to key motivating factors for those you’re trying to hire and retain. Leading job satisfaction factors in the Control Engineering Career and Salary Survey, 2022 (next pages), are technical challenge, feeling of accomplishment, financial compensation, and flexible work hours, according to survey respondents.
Automation, control investments
Automation and controls can help fill the skills gap. In separate, still unpublished Control Engineering research, “Buying Considerations for Automation Systems and Control Systems,” survey respondents were given a list of 15 product categories in automation processes; of those, respondents expected to increase in spending in 14 categories in the next 12 months. Among a list of 39 control system categories, respondents expect spending increases for all 39 in the next 12 months.
More education, hiring, retention advice
In the Control Engineering Career and Salary Survey, respondents also offered advice, including consistent updates to skills and knowledge, taking advantage of employer sponsored education and mentoring. Think again about engineering career advice including:
- Following six tips for effective mentorship from Jon Breen of Breen Machine Automation Services such as keeping the mentee involved in the process with goals, pacing and mentor selection.
- Learning from other companies’ controls engineers to strengthen skills, advised Michael Horth, a senior controls engineer for Applied Manufacturing Technologies.
- Accepting diverse projects, tasks, roles and responsibilities, including from other departments, to expand knowledge past an engineering focus, suggested Sam Russem, senior director of smart manufacturing solutions and Grantek Systems Integration.
- Working with others to help low-skilled workers, build technical skills and facilitate upward career mobility. Doing so helps optimize the employers’ ability to develop and retain qualified employees and increase their competitiveness, according to Danielle Hoske, director of development, data and communications, Jane Addams Resource Center (JARC).
Mark T. Hoske is content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology at mhoske@cfemedia.com.
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