Executive Summary: Future of the Technician Workforce Study

Summary of Key Findings: Job Functions and Business Operations

Rochester and Finger Lakes businesses described how Industry 4.0 technologies are changing job functions and business operations within their respective industries. While certain job functions will cease to exist, many will be augmented by Industry 4.0, and others will emerge as entirely new roles and responsibilities. The following table summarizes the critical impacts on job functions and business operations for each industry sector.

Table 3: Summary of Key Findings: Job Functions and Business Operations

FUTURE FUNCTIONS ENABLED BY i4.0

IN DECLINE

AUGMENTED BY i4.0

Manufacturing & Automation

 Manual tasks such as repair, diagnosis, inspection, and troubleshooting  Data entry  Dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks

 Flexible training and skill-building  More independent technicians  Soft skills, generalist skill-sets  Critical thinking and problem-solving  Converging roles  Hands-off inspection  IT-centric roles  IIoT remote operations  Data-driven information  Automation and programming  Cybersecurity skills

 Lifelong-learning and credentialing  Micro-credentialing and “digital badges”  Troubleshooting robotics; Crash recovery, debugging, and maintenance of advanced robotic systems  IT-centric roles  AI supervision and implementation  Cybersecurity skills  Calibration skills  Data-driven informatics  Expanded organizational roles  AR-enabled troubleshooting  Data fusion specialists

| 4 MCC Economic and Workforce Development Center