'Millennial' generation key to closing the skills gap

However, as acknowledged by the Future of Manufacturing report, this growth can't happen without additional workers with the correct skills. This is where the importance of the 'millennial' generation can't be overestimated. It is this generation that has the necessary skills for working in the future. The factory of the future will operate on a completely different basis to the large-scale, production line facilities that we traditionally think of. We will start to see a greater emphasis on factories that are able to customise their output based on consumer demands, providing smaller scale batch production that makes the best use of available resources. Of course, 3D printing technology is making this possible, and is being driven by consumer demand for products tailored to their needs, rather than off the peg products. This will result in smaller, localised factories, taking the product closer to the point of use. The millennial generation has been raised on 3D and virtual environments, and has grown up with computers, the web and mobile devices. They are able to comfortably work with globally disparate teams, and instinctively using cloud collaboration as part of their workflow. As a result, they don't see any barriers to discussing and collaborating on projects virtually or in real time. This generation has the background necessary for making manufacturing of the future a reality. However, the key to bridging the potential skills gap outlined by the report will be ensuring their 3D and digital know-how is converted into skills that can be put into practice in the workplace. This can only be achieved by ensuring those who are currently in education are given access to the right kind of technologies that will prepare them for the manufacturing industry of the future. Tim Norman is Autodesk's director of automotive and transportation industries, EMEA.