Brexit might well be the defining moment of our times but what comes after? How do we build a future for our industry that honours the current workforce while safeguarding employment for the next generation?
We all enjoy thinking about the future, but making assumptions about the future is dangerous, seductive and all too easy. Helping businesses benchmark their future requirements has been a core part of my career and I still marvel how quickly the landscape changes.
With blistering technological developments redefining the horizon quicker than many can plot a course, market intelligence is everything. To help guide your ambitions, here are my top 3 future developments to consider in your planning.
Connected work environments
Augmented reality headsets like Daqri offer increased worker efficiency, a safer workplace and reduced training times. Another added benefit is the collection of data. Resource allocation and efficiency analysis can already be honed through Big Data and machine learning. Soon data will be processed and evaluated by artificial intelligence. More than ever, it is important that your business is aware of what new, and critically robust, technology is available.
Using the Levy for future-proofing
With new technology, comes new skills requirements. The Levy offers a lifeline to plug nationwide skills shortages like driving and team leadership. What you might not have considered is using the Levy to upskill or acquire employees with high level degrees for specialised skills. As apprenticeships go up to a level 7, a masters degree equivalent, the specialised skills available for development is remarkable. This could be particularly useful when considering adopting new technological solutions.
Industry Academic Partnerships
We urge you to consider contacting your local university to speak about mutual funding, research partnerships, work placement schemes or even guest lecturing to transfer your skills to the next generation. Universities can help network with cross sector skills that would otherwise be impossible to access.
- David Coombes is MD of Skills for Logistics and Peoplecare Europe. Follow him at @DavidCoombesSfL or email David.Coombes@Peoplecare-Europe.co.uk
