The Skill Needs of the Manufacturing Industry: Can Higher Education Keep Up?

Autor/inn/en	Doherty, Oran; Stephens, Simon
Titel	The Skill Needs of the Manufacturing Industry: Can Higher Education Keep Up?
Quelle	In: Education & Training, 63 (2021) 4, S.632-646 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Doherty, Oran) ORCID (Stephens, Simon)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0040-0912
DOI	10.1108/ET-05-2020-0134
Schlagwörter	Manufacturing Industry; Higher Education; Labor Market; Labor Needs; Foreign Countries; Job Skills; Employment Qualifications; Skill Development; Work Experience Programs; Experiential Learning; College Role; College Graduates; Best Practices; Program Effectiveness; Apprenticeships; Professional Development; Ireland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Fertigungswirtschaft; Produzierendes Gewerbe; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; Labour needs; Arbeitskräftebedarf; Ausland; Produktive Fertigkeit; Employment qualification; Vocational qualification; Vocational qualifications; Berufliche Qualifikation; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Experiental learning; Erfahrungsorientiertes Lernen; Hochschulabsolvent; Hochschulabsolventin; Apprenticeship; Lehre; Irland
Abstract	Purpose: This paper explores the implications for higher education of the rapid development in technology used by the manufacturing sector. Higher education programmes change or new courses are introduced in attempts to match labour market demands. However, the pace of change in the manufacturing industry challenges the authors to reconceive how programmes and modules can and should be designed and delivered. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on interviews with 26 senior management representatives from manufacturing companies in Ireland. The 26 senior managers and their companies represent the wide diversity of Ireland's manufacturing sector. All the interviews were face to face, complimented by a short questionnaire. Follow-up interviews focussed on the emergent findings were carried out to aid the writing of recommendations for the best practice in programme design and delivery. Findings: What emerges from this study is that the manufacturing industry needs skills at three distinct levels. The authors define and classify the skill requirements at entry, competent and expert level. The authors place an emphasis on upskilling as an aid to movement between the three levels. In addition, and significantly, the desired time frame for delivery of these skills and/or upskilling is very short. Originality/value: Accelerated reskilling programmes with faster, shorter bursts of work-based learning (WBL) and experiential training are required. With a growing demand for those at competent and expert level, it is necessary to promote WBL to facilitate the upskilling of those employed in manufacturing roles, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01