Today [31 August], the International federation of Robotics (IFR) has pointed to robotics as a solution for ongoing labour shortages, especially in the manufacturing sector, through the announcement of its new Go4Robotics platform.
The platform is designed for SMEs in OECD countries and is designed to provide independence guidance for those looking to automate.
“The lack of skilled labour is a strong driver for automation in many countries,” says Dr Susanne Bieller, general secretary, IFR.
“In fact, statistics from the EU say that three quarters of all companies across the EU have a problem attracting workers with the required skills.”
One of the major aims of the new platform is to raise awareness of the advantages of deploying robotics and to provide educational content.
What’s more, it will provide a platform for experts to dispell common myths about automation, especially in sectors that are new to the process, the IFR has said.
It added that ‘managers [can] learn how to benefit from new trends like easy-to-program robots for non-experts’.
The decision to develop the platform comes from the fact that, given a choice, many young people prefer to work in a company that uses future technology, the organisation said.
It hopes that by driving increased adoption of robotics, it can improve SMEs recruitment efforts and to capitalise off of robots abilities to take on the four “Ds” of dull, dirty, dangerous and difficult work, and thus create more opportunities for employee upskilling.
