Factory Skills into Automation Skills

Many of the skills in manufacturing can be applied to automation for the information age. Unfortunately, factory workers and people working in related industries may not have to job skills needed if a factory were to close and skills related to information technology were more in demand. 

   What is being proposed is a way to utilize the skills learned and the technology used in factories as means to bridge to gap the skills needed for digital technology skills. This would be done by means of free online education.

This solution can help communities in several ways:

1. Create job skills based on work experience in factories and related industries.

2. Create jobs skills managing automation and related technologies, as opposed to jobs being taken away by automation.

3. Encourage small businesses to implement automation technology.

    Factory workers often lack digital technology skills, but their knowledge can be used as an advantage. When factories shut down, the labor pool is risk of not having skills for alternative jobs in information technology. The scale is global, especially is this age of globalization, and millions of people are affected by the vulnerability of having factory jobs. 

   According to the expert respondents of the Pew 2014 Future of the Internet canvassing, 48% believe that digital agent as well as robotic technology will replace white-collar and blue-collar jobs. For those outside of the U.S., blue-collar is term for jobs in factories and related industries.

   However, factory workers have the day-to-day skills sets that can be used as a stepping stone to learning information age technology skills. With that contributing factor, this online program aims to use these skills as a foundation to learning digital workforce skills.

   Primarily regions with abandoned factories or factories on the verge of shutting down. With the online coursework, people with factory experience can gain digital workforce skills, and the school administrator will able to be assess the student skills as they participate in the course. With the frame of reference of the body of knowledge often gained by working in a factory, needed skills can be tailored to the student based on the assessments.

   Taking factory skills and turning them into the skills to learn automation and other digital workforce skills. This is done by means of online learning. The processes are unique, but the learning tools are the aspects of the following standardized technologies that are often familiar to those working in factories and are capable of bridging the gap to understanding other digital workforce technologies:

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition): A computer system for gathering and analyzing real time data in factories, oil fields, and related types of locations.

Programmable Logic Controller (PLC): Industrial digital computer which has been ruggedized and adapted for the control of manufacturing processes, especially assembly lines.

From the above, the following technologies will be introduced as ways to model factory processes:

Unified Modeling Language (UML):  A general-purpose, developmental, modeling language that provides a standard way to visualize the design of a system.

From UML, system engineering is introduced and the following modeling language:

Systems Modeling Language (SysML): A general-purpose modeling language for systems engineering applications.

  In terms of experience with machinery components, the following methodology and software would be taught:

Epoch-Era Analysis: An approach for describing systems over time as existing in a series of static contexts (epochs) that change stochastically.

Trade Space Visualizer: A stand-alone Java-based data visualization program designed to help users explore multi-dimensional data sets to discover relationships between features. It was developed by a team at the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State, supported by both governmental and commercial funding sources.

For those that work in industries such as steel mills and related industries, the following design automation technology is introduced because of its analogies to metalwork:

Simulated Annealing: A method for solving unconstrained and bound-constrained optimization problems.

The solution is innovative because the theoretical aspects of cutting edge automation technology is introduced as means to create bridge to those who have worked in factories and the information age. One example is SCADA, Supervisory Data and Control. SCADA systems are systems that monitor and control plant and equipment in a wide range of industries, from manufacturing industry to the oil and gas industry. People who worked in factories can visualize how this technology would work or may have experienced how this technology works.

   SCADA systems incorporate visual elements such as animation to depict how factories are working. From this basis, other applications of the Information Age can be introduced to students, such as Programmable Automation Controllers (automation controllers that incorporate higher level functions), distributed control systems, as well as other related technologies.

Factory workers and workers from related industries will be able to relate, based upon their work experience, to automation technology. This technology would be presented as a means to understand the technology of the information age.

The program is in the idea stage at this point. However, it is a proposed online course and the basic description of the course presented in the link below.

To be able to implement this program throughout the world for factory workers, former factory workers, and those in related industries.

Language barriers are the main challenge.

Translating the educational materials into different languages.

This program should allow students to learn to use of all of ServiceNow's products and services.

Only myself for now.

I have several patents in alternative energy and related technologies. From this background, my goal is to create a training program that will allow factory workers and workers in related professions to develop computer skills.

I am presently not partnering with any organizations, but my goal is to partner with systems engineering and related societies in the near future.

The business model would be to provide the service to communities as a nonprofit enterprise that would be funded by community and government grants.

The expense for the project is minimal because it will be online. It is readily able to scale up with grants and financial contributions from those interested in this issue, including the corporations that own the factories in order to create a more skilled workforce.

I believe ServiceNow can provide the digital resources to help this program succeed. The project complements the solutions that ServiceNow is presently providing to enterprises in various communities. 

The main organizations that I would need to partner with are those societies that educate their members on issues pertaining automation and system engineering.