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TRAINING & SKILLS ENGAGING THE GEN Z WORKFORCE


Does Gen Z hold the key to solving the UK’s productivity puzzle? Here, FANUC UK reveals the steps it is taking to capture the attention of these bright young minds in a bid to secure the future of UK manufacturing…


sector needs to harness the power of automation. But it is incumbent on the industry to make sure the younger generation is turned on to careers in engineering and robotics. Despite our reputation as a strong


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manufacturing nation, productivity has long been the Achilles’ heel of the UK’s economy. Although we are now the eighth largest manufacturing nation, international comparisons show that the USA and Germany produce about one-sixth more than the UK per hour worked. Whilst productivity is an issue for all industries, it is an ongoing struggle for our manufacturing sector. Productivity levels have essentially flatlined since the pandemic, with ONS data revealing that in the first quarter of 2023, manufacturing actually made a negative contribution to productivity growth. It is therefore no coincidence that the UK


also lags behind other industrialised nations in its uptake of automation. According to the International Federation of Robotics’ 2022 report, robot density in the UK manufacturing industry was 111 robots per 10,000 employees in 2021, placing us 24th in the world robot density rankings and the only G7 country to sit outside the top 20. With a clear correlation between


investment in automation and higher productivity rates, the obvious way for the UK manufacturing sector to break this vicious cycle is by automating. One of the key obstacles to increased uptake of automation is the well-publicised industry skills shortage,


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igitally native and open to technological progress, Gen Z could be the secret weapon the manufacturing


which is being exacerbated by an ageing workforce. According to ONS data, almost one fifth of all workers in the UK manufacturing industry is aged 55 or over. Ultimately, the industry needs to attract a new influx of people who can design, build, install, operate, programme, maintain, fix and advance robots and other automation technologies, and successfully integrate them into manufacturing facilities across the country. Fortunately, a solution is staring the industry


in the face in the form of Gen Z; the generation of digital natives born between the late 1990s and early 2010s. The high-level skills that UK manufacturing firms need to remain competitive are changing, and Gen Zs are perfectly placed to bridge that gap. This group has grown up with the internet and has used smartphones ever since the were old enough to own one. Lacking any fear of technology, they want to work smarter, not harder. Another trait of Gen Z is their ability to adapt


quickly. They are learners by nature because the technology they interact with is changing all the time. For employers, having a workforce that is ready to embrace new technology can be incredibly valuable. So, what can manufacturing companies –


already struggling with skilled and unskilled labour shortages and facing competition for younger staff from tech and finance firms – do to ensure this cohort is switched onto a career in automation and engineering? 23-year old Hara Konstantelia is a Technical


Sales Support Engineer at FANUC UK. She believes one of the problems is that automation, as a career path and industry, is


not really represented in the world that Gen Zs inhabit. “You don’t often see robotics in movies, on social media or on TikTok, which is where young people hang out and learn about the outside world,” she said. Hara agrees that this can potentially fuel outdated perceptions of manufacturing as an ‘oil and rag’ industry, mainly because young people “don’t know what it involves”. The reality is of course quite different – today’s engineers are just as likely to need coding and programming skills as well as more traditional expertise.. To help dispel these myths and showcase


the reality of a career in automation, FANUC UK is at the forefront of a number of initiatives to develop a new pipeline of Gen Z talent. One of these is the WorldSkills Industrial Robotics competition, a trail-blazing industry-education initiative. Working in teams of two, participants (aged 16+) are taught how to programme and operate real-life robots, before putting their skills to the test. Five teams have made it through to the Industrial Robotics National Final, which will took place between 14-16 November 2023 at FANUC’s UK headquarters in Coventry as part of its Open House event. “As a company, we are really keen to


engage with young people and enthuse them about robotics engineering as a career choice. The WorldSkills Industrial Robotics competition is all about making robotics accessible, relevant and appealing to young people,” said Oliver Selby, Head of UK Sales at FANUC UK. Hara competed in the WorldSkills UK


Industrial Robotics competition in 2019, and this year was involved with the judging. “Having


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