WET News

NEWS+ DECEMBER 2017 WET NEWS 7 May the fourth be with you • The digital era is transforming homes and the workplace at a swift pace – and both Atkins and Mace agree that companies must get to grips with it now. Maureen Gaines explains. T he digital era has arrived, and it is being heralded as the Fourth Industrial Rev- olution – the likes of which have never been seen before as it impacts all aspects of life in the home and workplace. However, it is the speed at which this latest industrial revolution is taking place that could leave businesses at risk if they do not get on the digital bandwagon now. This is according to consultancy and contracting groups Atkins and Mace, both of which have just published their individual takes on what the digital era means. Phil Gruber, global leader for digital asset management at Atkins, says: "The journey from the first computer chip to the Internet of Things, virtual reality and artificial intelligence has happened astonishingly quickly, and is leading to the convergence of the physical and digital worlds. "The con- vergence of our digital and physical worlds is not futuristic: it's here now. Considering the implications and opportunities that this digital transformation offers is vital to set us on the right course for a prosperous and sustainable future." According to Atkin's Digital Reality report more than 20 billion devices look set to be connected to the internet in the infrastructure sector by 2020. "Digital gives us the opportunity to do the fundamentals of what we do now better, and it also allows us to do new things that people have not yet thought about," says Gruber. Mark Reynolds, Mace chief executive, and Construction Leadership Council skills lead, says this revolution should "radically improve the prod- uctivity levels of our industry, improve quality, safety and our impact on the environment. But to seize the opportunities presented by these emerging technologies we will have to embark on a training programme unlike any other our industry has seen before". In its latest Insights report, Moving to Industry 4.0: A skills revolution, Mace estimates that the construction industry could see more than 600,000 jobs automated and workers re-skilled for new roles by 2040 as a result of the new and rapid changes in technologies. Also, UK construction could deliver an extra £25bn annually to the UK economy by 2040 if its productivity 'gap' is closed. Industry 4.0 is the collective term for a range of technologies – cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles and robotics – that experts believe represent the new industrial revolution. The report argues that the figures, although only pro- jections, give a sense of the scale of the talent pool that will need to be re-skilled to allow the construction sector to move to Industry 4.0 and embrace productivity-improving techno- logies. Mace outlined three key recommendations to ensure the sector has the infrastructure to deliver the skills it needs by 2040. These are: • Accelerate the use of new technology in training: By mandating that the latest 3D printing technologies and augmented and virtual reality tools are introduced into industry training programmes and into 'construction clubs' in schools, the sector can better meet its future skills challenges will also ensuring that courses are attractive to potential students and recruits • Inform lifelong learning decisions: At the moment data is sparse on what skills will be needed in the future. By com-missioning large-scale sector- wide research and working with government bodies like the ONS and CITB, the construction industry will be able to ensure that its skills profile is changing to meet actual need • Revolutionise traditional education programmes: Current apprenticeship and training reforms will not go far enough to prepare the workforce for Industry 4.0. The curri- culum on offer now needs to be upended to reflect the modern methods of construction and off-site assembly that will be needed in the future. The report argues that the figures, although only projections, give a sense of the scale of the talent pool that will need to be re-skilled to allow the construction sector to move to Industry 4.0 and embrace p r o d u c t i v i t y - i m p r o v i n g echnologies. Mace warns that without a major effort to reskill the current workforce and attract a new generation of more tech savvy workers, the construction industry and the UK will lose out on the potential productivity benefits of the next industrial revolution. Reynolds says: "We make a series of recommendations that include lifelong learning, changes to training programmes and the accelerated use of new technology in training. The construction sector is going to look very different in a decade or two – and so is its workforce. The challenges and opport- unities ahead are vast, and to succeed we will need to work together or face a skills cliff-edge." Technology trends gaining traction in infrastructure are big data, the spread of the Industrial IoT, and advanced predictive analytics. The sector also has to get to grips with the increasing automation of processes and developments, such as the use of drones, satellites for remote surveying and monitoring. Keeping up with these developments is vital, says Sharron Pamplin, Atkins' UK & Europe human resources dir- ector: "We have an internal mantra at Atkins – 'Don't wait to be disrupted'. We are doing a lot of thinking about what the future will look like and what that will mean for our people and our business." "The challenges and opportunities ahead are vast, and to succeed we will need to work together or face a skills cliff-edge" Mark Reynolds, Mace "The convergence of our digital and physical worlds is not futuristic: it's here now" Phil Gruber, Atkins

• Cover