The HRDC recently conducted a study in the Manufacturing sector to assess and ascertain the role of skills needed to foster Automation, Robotics and IIOT, and come up with specific skills development programmes. The study findings have highlighted that local manufacturers are increasingly facing a skills shortage while embarking towards Industry 4.0. The study has helped to identify a few key diploma/degree/masters level programmes and other short training programmes which will be needed by the sector.

The implementation phase of the study will involve the collaboration of different stakeholders and potential projects will be considered under different skills development schemes wherever applicable.

While it is imperative to have a skilled pool of resources on the market, it is also pivotal to raise the skills capacity of the existing workforce and train them in different skills sets.

In this same direction, the pointers of the study have been useful as an indication for the University of Mascareignes (UDM) to mount a draft Masters level training programme in Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) for existing employees of the Manufacturing sector.

Hence, a working session was organised with Industry representatives to discuss, customise and validate the contents / modules of the proposed Master level course by the University of Mascareignes in IIOT, specifically being designed for employees of the Manufacturing sector and sponsored under the HRDC’s Skills Development Support Programme for Artificial Intelligence.