How These Companies Built Thriving Professional Development Programs for the Automation Industry

Professional development programs play a vital role in the automation industry by ensuring that employees have the skills, knowledge, and competencies required to drive innovation, solve complex problems, and enable companies to remain competitive in a rapidly changing industry landscape. These programs are vital for fostering a skilled, adaptable, and motivated workforce given the fast pace of technological advancement, evolving industry standards, and increasing demand for highly skilled workers. Effective professional development programs not only enhance individual capabilities, but also contribute to overall organizational success and innovation.  

Addressing the Skills Gap and Labor Shortage Challenges

Given the current and future skills gap and labor shortage, companies within the automation industry face multifaceted challenges. These challenges include difficulties in finding qualified talent, impacts on innovation and growth, increased costs and delays, risks of talent and brain drain, diversity and inclusion challenges, and pressure to upskill the existing workforce. Establishing professional development programs is crucial to addressing these challenges.

A 2023 report by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) found that 85% of companies in the automation industry are struggling to fill open positions for technical roles, particularly in areas like robotics programming, machine vision, and control systems. And according to a 2021 report by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, the U.S. manufacturing sector could face a shortage of 2.1 million skilled workers by 2030. This includes roles in automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing, where the need for technical expertise is growing.

Add these projections to the fact that the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) reports that more than 25% of the current workforce in manufacturing, including automation roles, is expected to retire by 2030. These statistics highlight the impact the skills gap and labor shortage is expected to have on the automation industry. The shortage of skilled labor is delaying automation projects, driving up costs, and hindering innovation. At the same time, companies are making efforts to reskill and upskill their workforce to address these challenges. As the demand for automation continues to grow, addressing the skills gap will remain a top priority for the industry.

Establishing Professional Development Programs

To learn how organizations are using professional development programs to solve the current and future labor shortage and skills gap, we gathered valuable insights from two of our A3 member companies, Omron Automation and Festo, each of which brings unique perspectives and industry expertise. By incorporating their diverse experiences and approaches, we get a well-rounded understanding of the challenges and opportunities that are encountered when establishing professional development programs within the automation industry. Their combined perspectives underscore the collaborative spirit that drives innovation and growth in our community.

Omron Automation’s Sakura Early Career Training Program

Like the rest of the automation industry, Omron Automation is impacted by the skilled labor shortage for quality technical sales and application engineering professionals. This challenges their ability to provide their customers with trusted advisors who can co-create value and solve problems alongside them.   

When asked what motivated them to invest in professional development programs and how they established their professional development framework, here is what they shared. According to Carrie Lee, Americas sales manager, early career development, “Omron chose to address the labor shortage by investing in the future. We expanded on existing college grad training programs to create the Sakura Program. It is a one-and-a-half-year program that includes six months of classroom training, and one year of in-the-field, on-the-job development. The framework was built off existing training, and a continuous-improvement approach was taken to add structure and ensure the right training and tools are provided to ensure that early career professionals can accelerate their learning curve to find success and drive results.” 

The guiding principles considered when developing the program came from Omron’s core principles and their “Shaping the Future 2030” plan. Lee explained, “We are driving diversity by hiring candidates with different backgrounds, experiences, and educational fields. This mix allows each cohort to learn from each other’s perspectives as well as bring in new ideas to the organization. Omron seeks to use technology and innovation to improve lives and contribute to society. This core principle is aligned with what the next generation of career professionals is looking for in a career. We are training our team to be trusted resources for our customers to help drive the field of automation to provide sustainable and innovative solutions.”

Omron’s professional development program leverages a combination of classroom training focused on technology, industry drivers, professionalism, and sales skills with application of that knowledge through projects and on-the-job training. Two core components of the program are an emphasis on professional growth and mentorship. Trainees are assigned a mentor within the company during the first two weeks which helps the trainees build relationships within the organization quickly and provides personal growth and satisfaction for the mentors. They also incorporate an assignment to create LinkedIn videos to demonstrate understanding of technology training. Doing so builds up the trainees’ network and provides credibility and proof of their knowledge, while increasing the company’s LinkedIn presence.

Festo Didactic Technical Education

We also had the opportunity to get input from Karolyn Ellingson, head of industrial workforce development, at Festo Didactic, a Festo division that is a world-leading solution provider of technical education and training. Ellingson explains that, “Festo Didactic develops professional, hands-on educational products and services for technical training and professional development in the field of automation technology, the core business of the Festo group. With a state-of-the-art didactic approach, the company ensures the employability and productivity of their customers. The learning environments are developed for education and industry.”

Ellingson added, “Our mission is to bridge the gap between industry demands and educational outcomes by equipping the workforce with the skills needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving automation sector. We offer a comprehensive range of products and services that include hands-on training systems, e-learning platforms, simulation software, and industry 4.0 training solutions, all designed to enhance the competencies of current and future professionals.”

Festo is not immune to the challenges resulting from the skills gap and labor shortages.  “Therefore,” says Ellingson, “we created our own training programs and our Mechatronics Apprenticeship Program to prepare not only our own future workforce, but also those of other companies in our region.” Their investment in professional development programs is driven by their commitment to fostering a skilled and capable workforce that can meet the demands of modern automation technologies.

The framework for their professional development programs was established through extensive collaboration with industry experts, educational institutions, and their own engineering teams. The guiding principles include a focus on practical, hands-on learning; alignment with industry standards; and the incorporation of the latest technological advancements. Additionally, they were motivated by the numerous benefits of professional development for both employees and the company. Some of these benefits include learning new skills, improving confidence, growing professional networks, developing leadership skills for employees, and increasing employee retention rates.

Festo Didactic’s professional development programs are comprised of several key components including hands-on training systems; e-learning platforms; certification programs; and Industry 4.0 training. Their portfolio covers the entire range of equipment for efficient learning, from simulation software, e-earning, and modular learning systems to fully equipped training centers for a wide variety of technology fields. Along with training programs, Festo Didactic offers seminars and qualification programs for various job roles in the fields of people, technology, and organization.

A notable innovation in their professional development offerings is their new apprenticeship model. This model is designed to be faster and shorter without compromising on didactic content. For instance, Sinclair Community College and Festo Corporation have launched a partnership that allows students to earn college credits toward a Sinclair associate degree while gaining critical advanced manufacturing skills on the job. Individuals who complete the Festo Mechatronics Apprenticeship Program will earn 20 credit hours toward a Sinclair Automation and Control Technology with Robotics Associate of Applied Science degree.

“We conduct skills assessments to identify employees that need to be trained and establish what competencies they need to reskill or upskill.” Ellingson explained. “To reduce the hours away from the manufacturing floor, we offer hybrid training solutions, virtual training, and in-person hands-on training, which can be performed at the customer's site.”

Ellingson continued, “We collaborate with educational institutions and industry partners to ensure our programs are cutting-edge. These comprehensive offerings ensure that our training programs are not only diverse and thorough but also aligned with the latest industry trends and technologies. This holistic approach allows us to provide our employees with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in their careers and drive innovation within the company.”

Festo measures the impact of their professional development programs through several key performance indicators (KPIs) including: employee skill advancement, assessed through pre- and post-training evaluations; performance metrics, such as increased productivity and error reduction; retention rates of employees who participated; and certification completion rates. Quantifiable outcomes include a 30% increase in productivity reported by teams who have undergone their advanced automation training and a 25% reduction in error rates in facilities where employees completed their quality control modules.

Challenges Faced and Lessons Learned

When asked to share the challenges Omron faced and lessons learned, Lee responded, “One of the earliest challenges we faced was to build awareness with early career professionals about the automation industry.  We needed to show students how exciting a career in automation can be. We found success partnering with universities who aligned with our corporate value and mission. Engaging with students throughout the school year through supporting senior design projects, labs, and even professional selling organizations on campus gave us an opportunity to expose people to an exciting field they may not have been aware of.  Another key component was showing the focus on personal/professional development for people right out of college. The investment of one-and-a-half years of development while starting your career, shows the commitment we make to developing the next generation of sales and technology leaders.” 

 “One of the primary challenges Festo faced was ensuring that our training programs remained up-to-date with the fast-paced advancements in automation technology,” added Ellingson. “We learned the importance of maintaining strong industry partnerships and continuously investing in our own R&D to keep our training content relevant. Another challenge was engaging employees and making the training accessible and appealing. We found that implementing interactive and hands-on learning methods proved to be highly effective in this regard.”

Festo’s advice to other companies looking to build strong professional development programs is to focus on creating a flexible and adaptable training framework that can evolve with industry needs. Invest in technology and partnerships that will enhance the learning experience, and always seek feedback from participants to continually refine and improve your programs. By taking a proactive, holistic approach to training, and tailoring it to meet the specific needs of your workforce and the technologies you employ, you can ensure that your employees remain skilled, engaged, and ready to meet future challenges.