White-collar workers may want to grab a hard hat.

While artificial intelligence (AI) is disrupting millions of white collar jobs, blue collar jobs, like manufacturing and construction, are poised for a hiring boom. In January 2024, the U.S. added 23,000 jobs in manufacturing, and a month prior to this federal investment, there were 601,000 open positions in the industry — a three-month high. Yet, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)’s “Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey,” attracting and retaining a quality workforce is still a challenge.

Manufacturers have been facing a massive shortage for the last several years, and it continues to increase. As efforts to add more jobs in manufacturing continue, employers question who will fill those industrial front-line roles. For example, durable goods manufacturing has more than 40% of unfilled job openings. To attract and retain workers in this labor shortage, learning professionals must offer continuous learning and development (L&D). This not only can boost employee retention, but also attract entry-level workers who need training.

Connected worker platforms with generative AI can provide industrial workers the training and support they need to get the job done. These digital software tools are mobile-enabled and can include wearable devices. They are a one-stop-shop application that gives workers access to knowledge and resources on the job. In the manufacturing industry, AI is augmenting the skills and abilities of front-line workers, enabling them to be more productive, successful and satisfied with their jobs. This article will review key insights on integrating AI into connected worker platforms.

AI: An Integral Part of The Solution

AI can offer a more responsive and adaptive approach to capability building for industrial workforces. Connected worker platforms embedded with AI can deliver personalized, real-time guidance and support tailored to individual worker needs. This instantaneous orientation, combined with reinforcement through daily practice, can accelerate skill acquisition. These features highlight the advantages of an AI-powered system:

1. Micro-targeted content: AI algorithms assess each user’s proficiency across various competencies to serve training content that addresses specific skills gaps and development needs. This surgical precision closes gaps efficiently by focusing on areas that need the most improvement for each individual.
2. In-workflow learning: The system surfaces instructional content directly within daily workflows instead of routing users to a separate training portal. This frictionless access combined with high relevance embeds skill building within actual job execution.
3. Adaptive guidance: Tracking task-level performance allows the system to benchmark progression and refine recommendations over time. Workers are coached to enhance how they execute particular procedures or operate certain tools.
4. Reinforcement: An AI coach monitors task handling, celebrating successes and intervening with corrective advice whenever workers demonstrate sub-optimal practices or make mistakes. This real-time redirection and positive feedback accelerates on-the-job training.

Once implemented, an AI-powered platform can become a performance support system. Front-line workers can bring their contextually aware and personalized aide alongside them as they complete tasks and functions. Companies that follow this approach report faster ramp-ups for new hires, fewer callouts, and most importantly, a reliable approach to closing skills gaps across their workforces.

Tips to Leveraging AI Successfully

Though the technology may be advantageous, implementing AI-powered platforms in your manufacturing workforce may require thoughtful planning and communication to gain buy-in from front-line employees who’re used to hands-on learning. The key is to convey the benefits and what is in it for them. AI assistance can specifically address daily challenges faced on the shop floor or construction site.

Connected worker platforms can map out a structured framework of equipment operations, maintenance procedures, quality checks and safety protocols that’re essential and based on company data. This mapping can establish a knowledge base for the AI engine to assess individual proficiency levels across various competencies, and deliver training content tailored to fill gaps.

Leadership should clearly explain to workers how this AI-powered approach differs from the one-size-fits-all training they may have experienced in the past. The system can provide personalized training in the flow of work designed to bring each person up to speed much faster for their specific role. Highlighting these advantages can help front-line employees understand how AI aids skill-building and productivity.

Gaining buy-in also requires leadership to fully endorse the AI system and sponsor its ongoing enhancement over time as responsibilities evolve and new needs emerge.

This top-down level of support is vital to sustaining engagement across the organization. Grounded specifically in the realities of blue-collar roles, AI is more than a technology — it’s a trusted digital partner tailored to the front-line. When unified with real-time analytics, AI implementation can grant L&D leaders visibility into competencies and gaps at individual and enterprise levels. This can ultimately help transform how modern enterprises reskill their entire workforces for the future.

The Future Belongs to the Continuously Trained

To remain competitive in the face of the skilled labor crisis, manufacturing companies must recognize the imperative of continuous reskilling and upskilling for their workforce. Operationalizing learning is a strategic approach that involves integrating training and workforce development into the daily operations of the company. Instead of viewing learning as a one-time event or a sporadic activity, this method emphasizes a systematic and ongoing process of acquiring new skills and knowledge.

AI-powered connected worker platforms can enable manufacturers to use their own data to empower their front-line workforce with the tools, training and support they need to succeed. Most importantly, it can give your organization a competitive edge, attracting more workers to fill open positions. It also can work to engage and retain manufacturing employees. As manufacturers continue to face the skilled labor crisis, reskilling and upskilling their workforce is fundamental to future organizational success.