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December 11, 2022 | Tom Ballard

Smart Factory Institute releases “The ‘New Collar’ Worker Job Requirements” report

Technology is changing, and so are the skills workers need to make it.

At an event last Thursday in Cleveland, the Smart Factory Institute presented findings of its newly commissioned report that identifies 60 critical knowledge, skill, ability, and other (KSAO) characteristics individuals will need to succeed as the “smart workers” in future Industry 4.0 manufacturing settings.

Titled “The ‘New Collar’ Worker Job Requirements,” the report was researched and written by Chris Cunningham, UC Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), and Scott Meyers, Graduate Research Scientist at UTC’s Industrial-Organizational Psychology Master’s degree program.

“As organizations adopt Industry 4.0 technologies and processes, workers will be expected to gain additional responsibilities needed to interact and work with these advanced technologies,” the preface to the report notes. It can be download it at this link.

The report was unveiled during “The Smart Factory Workforce Conference” hosted by the Smart Factory Institute, a business-driven effort guided by the Tennessee Manufacturers Association that is focused on driving innovation and technology in Tennessee and the Southeastern U.S. The Institute is operated by Peak Performance Inc.


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