A whirlwind of forces has created a chasm between the needs of industrial businesses undergoing digital transformation and the skillsets of available workers. While companies have been attempting to address the lack of properly trained workers for years, the lingering effects of the 2007-2009 recession, increasing impact of an aging workforce and widening skill requirements have only heightened the need for a way to transfer knowledge effectively.

Although nearly a decade has now passed since the Great Recession officially ended, industrial companies can expect to feel its shadow for years to come. Many middle-aged and older technical workers in manufacturing, construction, utilities, warehousing, telecom and other industries found other careers— taking their skills and knowledge with them. In many industries, like oil and gas, which saw prices dive during the economic recovery, these workers weren’t rehired, and few new workers were brought on board to fill those roles. This caused younger workers to choose career paths outside of industrial fields, and the result has been that that most industrial companies have few middle-aged employees today.

The skills gap is expected to increase across industries.
In manufacturing, 27 percent of manufacturing workers over the age of 55¹ are rapidly