Identifying the Future Skills Requirements of the Industrial (Steel) Workforce and Strategies for Their Implementation

Tuğçe Akyazı, University of Deusto

Abstract

The European industry is currently undergoing rapid and continious transformation as a result of Industry 4.0 and the green economic growth mode that is aimed at reducing resource consumption, raising energy efficiency and protecting the environment. The exponential growth of digitalisation and the continuous increase in sustainability needs are currently reshaping the European industry through its entire value chain. Manufacturing models are profoundly changing with emerging digitalisation. Smart technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), digital twin, allow the companies to optimize processes, increase efficiency and reduce waste through a new phase of automation. These technologies enable the industry to reach the aim of creating products with improved performance, extended life, high reliability that are eco-efficient. In addition, the industries must deal with the pressures of environmental regulations, the obstacles of resource price volatility and resource supply threats. The development and deployment of digital technologies in manufacturing is also being considered as a critical factor in overcoming obstacles and speeding up the transition to a more sustainable and energy-efficient European industry. Companies need to develop a well-established strategy that can support their organisation to handle the new business models, upcoming technological developments and sustainability requirements properly. In order to implement the strategy effectively and achieve an adequate digital and green transformation, their main condition is building a multi-skilled and highly qualified workforce.This competent workforce can only be built by foreseeing the changes in the skills requiements and then updating the skills of the current workforce accordingly. In this seminary, I aim to present you the strategies that we developed in the ESSA (Blueprint for a sustainable, steel industry driven and coordinated European Steel Skills Agenda) project, as well as other relevant European projects for the short-term and ongoing implementation of new skills demands of the workforce in several sectors in Europe.

Short Bio

Tuğçe Akyazı graduated from Istanbul Technical University as a Metallurgical and Materials engineer in 2008. She has a double degree master of science in Materials Science and Engineering area by the Politecnico di Milano (2008-2010) and the Istanbul Technical University (2011). After having several experiences in industry, she worked as a researcher in the Quantum Devices and Nanophotonics Research Laboratory at the Middle Technical University, Ankara (2014). In 2015 she started her PhD in the University of Navarra working as a researcher in CIC MicroGUNE, Spain working in microtechnology. In April 2015, she became a member of the University of the Basque Country EHU/UPV. She also carried out studies in University of Central Florida as an exchange researcher and defended her PhD thesis in 2017 in San Sebastian, Spain. She has been working as a researcher at the University of Deusto in Bilbao since 2019 specializing on industrial management and organization, researching in the area of skills and workforce development.

Venue

Friday, June 17, 2022, 4.00 pm - Zoom Meeting

English

Announcement Category