education & business


Facing the future starts now


Professor Mike Wilkinson, deputy vice-chancellor (external engagement), at Southampton Solent University looks at the impact of advancing technology on jobs and skills in the Solent region


You don’t have to look far to know we’re living through the fourth industrial revolution.


Every day new innovations are fusing technologies and blurring the lines between the physical, digital and virtual. Robotics, nanotechnology, virtual reality, 3D printing, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence are all converging and, as they’re embraced, are bringing about radical shifts in the way we work, learn and live.


Automation has been a constant for decades, but so far this has been evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. In the past our robots were limited, reliant on human supervision and, for many, enabled an increase in quality while offsetting steep rises in employment and labour costs.


Now we can teach computers not only to act in complex ways, but to create new things. They’re composing music; and while it’s not Bach, it’s not bad. They’re taking huge sets of data and producing new concepts, from car designs to architectural models. Tasks that were once considered far too complicated for computers to understand and carry out are now accepted as just a tiny part of what’s possible. We once believed that people would remain solely capable of coming up with new and innovative ideas, but now computers can do that too.


With all this, and the pace of change set to accelerate, our response to technological


advance is becoming more important and more urgent. But what should that response be?


Do we believe those who see progress as a threat, and condemn the amount of jobs set to be lost to automation? Or those who argue the process goes hand in hand with the creation of new, more fulfilling jobs and an increase in leisure time?


We aren’t able to answer these questions now, or even any time soon, and here in the UK the impact of Brexit will continue to make accurate predictions challenging at best.


But whether the impact is good, bad or, more likely, something in-between the only certainty is that it will force change. And how we prepare for that change will make the difference between success and failure. Automation is inevitable, but not unmanageable, and now is the time to analyse these trends and set the stage for some serious and very necessary discussions.


As a higher education professional and a chartered director, it should be no surprise that I believe the key to managing this transformation is building stronger and more continuous connections between education and employment. There is much more we could be doing to help give our young people an easier entry into the world of work, and to support those already there


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – MARCH/APRIL 2017


to learn valuable new skills throughout their careers.


There is an urgent need for businesses to engage with education and skills providers, including through the apprenticeship programme, to ensure we are in a position to provide the qualifications and experiences the companies of the future will demand.


And industry needs to take this chance to provide input on the skills needed; to seize the opportunity of working with learners to identify and nurture talent, while marketing and growing their offer.


We know the Solent is an area with many strengths, but it is vital the region comes together to utilise these assets to their full potential. By building on our position as a leading location and growth hub for sectors from manufacturing and maritime to engineering and aerospace, we can ensure we are not just ready, but are in the best possible position for the transformation to come.


The world is changing quickly and now is the time to adjust. We can work together towards a future that benefits our staff, students, businesses and the wider community, but we need to start today.


Professor Mike Wilkinson mike.wilkinson@solent.ac.uk solent.ac.uk


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