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manufacturing workforce

Automation is Hiring Faster Than Schools Can Graduate Engineers

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Automation is no longer a future promise. It is a present-day hiring engine. Across factories, warehouses, energy grids, and research labs, companies are deploying robots and intelligent systems at a pace that demands a steady supply of skilled engineers.

The trouble is simple to state and hard to solve. The machines are arriving faster than the people who design, build, and maintain them.

This gap is not a temporary blip. It is a structural mismatch between what employers need and what the education system can deliver. Demand is compounding. Supply is moving in a straight line. When those two curves diverge, the result is a labor shortage that touches every corner of the technology economy. [Read more…] about Automation is Hiring Faster Than Schools Can Graduate Engineers

Why Factory Automation Now Depends on Software-Savvy Workers

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Automation is becoming a software problem. The deeper robots move into production, the more workers need to be confident handling dashboards, updates, alerts and data-driven decisions.

The old image of factory automation was a robot arm behind a safety cage, doing one repetitive task faster than a human being ever could. But whilst robots weld, lift, assemble and pack at speeds fast enough to warrant their own keepers and still save thousands of man-hours, the knowledge of that robot engineer is increasingly software-based.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Robotics said that, worldwide, more than half a million industrial robots were installed in 2024 alone, topping up a figure approaching 5 million robots in operational use. [Read more…] about Why Factory Automation Now Depends on Software-Savvy Workers

High-powered panel discussion: Why aren’t there more women in engineering?

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They say “Necessity is the mother of invention”, but that seems to be one of the only times in popular imagination that a female is associated with engineering, which is what invention almost always entails.

The truth is women engineers are few and far between, no matter which country we are talking about – throughout history and even today.

At present, they make up approximately 16 percent of UK engineers. In other words, the overwhelming majority of engineers in the UK – 84 per cent – are male.

That may or may not surprise some people, but it’s not something that sits well with the Royal Academy of Engineering, which hosted a panel discussion about the subject and debated what can be done to redress the imbalance. [Read more…] about High-powered panel discussion: Why aren’t there more women in engineering?

Employee Handbook Translation Services Are No Longer Optional for Modern Workplaces

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Summary

  • Employee handbooks explain workplace expectations and policies
  • Translation improves communication for multilingual teams
  • Automated translation tools often create inaccurate wording
  • Clear policies support workplace safety and compliance
  • Employees engage better when communication feels accessible
  • Updated translated handbooks help maintain consistency across teams

A few years ago, an HR manager at a mid-sized manufacturing company noticed something odd during onboarding sessions.

Employees signed every document, nodded through orientation, and rarely asked questions. On paper, everything looked organized. [Read more…] about Employee Handbook Translation Services Are No Longer Optional for Modern Workplaces

Most manufacturers adopting automation, but few see real results, report finds

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A new report from Eclipse Automation suggests that while factory automation is now widespread across North America, only a small proportion of manufacturers are achieving meaningful outcomes from their investments.

The study, based on a survey of more than 600 executives across the automotive, medical device, and consumer-industrial sectors, found that although up to 70 percent of US manufacturers and 60 percent of Canadian firms report using some form of automation, levels of maturity and performance vary significantly.

The findings point to a growing divide between companies that are successfully translating automation into measurable returns and those that are struggling to move beyond early-stage deployments. [Read more…] about Most manufacturers adopting automation, but few see real results, report finds

7 Best Employee Training Platforms for Manufacturing Teams in 2026

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Factories are humming again, yet talent is scarce. In the UK alone, 49,000 manufacturing jobs sat vacant in April 2025, a snapshot of the global skills crunch TechRadar.

According to microlearning provider 5Mins.ai, plants that roll out focused compliance training record a 28 percent drop in recordable incidents – proof that smart learning platforms protect both people and production.

Below, we rank the seven best training platforms built for manufacturing. You’ll see how each one handles mobile and offline delivery, certifications, IoT data, and granular analytics so you can choose with confidence. [Read more…] about 7 Best Employee Training Platforms for Manufacturing Teams in 2026

Virginia Tech opens new center to ‘shape the future of advanced manufacturing’

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For years, Virginia Tech has forged its place as a powerhouse in advanced manufacturing research. With the launch of Virginia Tech Made: The Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the university welds its mission to shape the future of the field with its commitment to train the workforce to lead it.

Housed within the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Tech Made will cultivate cross-campus collaborations, expand partnerships with industry and government, and train manufacturing professionals based on the university’s expertise in advanced materials, manufacturing technologies, computational design, data analytics, and digital infrastructure.

As faculty affiliated with the center advance state-of-the-art technology, they’ll focus on workforce development and outreach as key components of the center’s mission. [Read more…] about Virginia Tech opens new center to ‘shape the future of advanced manufacturing’