innovative way to close the skills gap

By Desiree Schnoor

In the manufacturing industry, many open positions have been left unfilled because managers can't find applicants with the skill level necessary for the job. Not only does this mean slower production and empty workstations, but also companies sometimes having to forego bidding contracts because they don’t have anyone who can produce the product. This need to match open skilled positions with suitable employees is called closing the skills gap.

Traditionally, companies hire skilled, experienced employees to do high level, skill-specific tasks. But there are a few reasons this hiring method isn’t working as well as it once did. Firstly, there are less skilled workers in the manufacturing sector then there once were. To make matters worse, of the skilled technicians already working, a large number are retiring every year.

Unfortunately, it would follow then, that the skills gap will probably widen over the years, unless something changes.

Virtual QE, a quality engineering company has a revolutionary solution. Joshua Schnoor, their Business Development Manager, explains it like this. “Traditionally the industry has tried to bridge this skills gap by hiring more skilled employees or increasing the knowledge and training of current employees, to get these really complicated tasks done. But when it comes to job specific, part specific tasks, everyone has to learn on the job. We are saying what if there was a way to reduce the amount of skill or knowledge needed to accurately perform a task? That’s what we have done in Video Work Instructions. We are saying that if you put the task on video, anyone can do it accurately. Essentially, we are bridging the skills gap from the other end of the space."

Mr. Schnoor is talking about the company’s premier product and service; Video Work Instructions. These work instructions replace traditional work instructions and automatically level the playing field for new, inexperienced employees to be able to perform tasks quickly and correctly, just as accurately as experienced technicians. From watching a first-person video, new hires can easily train to complete new tasks faster and more effectively, increasing yield and standardization and reducing error.