The only way to fix the problem is by increasing the available talent pool.
People tend to wrongly associate automation with job losses. Why ‘wrongly’? Because the reality is the world is facing a talent crunch across domains, the calibration industry included.
Let me share my thoughts on the topic.
It’s a job seeker’s market.
A quick look at LinkedIn reveals that at the time of writing this post there are 17,000 plus job openings in the calibration sector in the US and a similar number in China. Based on my interactions with friends in calibration labs, I can confirm that there is a 20% to 30% increase in remuneration for new joiners.
What do these numbers mean? The market is favoring job seekers.
We need a larger talent pool.
That’s right. We need more people to join the industry. The output from skilling institutions and educational institutions to the calibration industry is way below the requirement in the industry. We need more skilling institutions and finishing schools focused on this domain.
The question is who will invest in building such institutions.
The industry needs to take the lead.
One thing is clear. The current set of institutions alone cannot cater to the growing demand. The only practical proposition is for the industry to come together to set up-skilling centers, either by joining with other educational institutions or by themselves.
Evangelizing career growth opportunities.
Given the advancement of technology across sectors, our tolerance for errors has come down drastically. This means calibration of equipment is becoming a priority for different sectors, including pharmaceuticals, military, food tech, and such. The younger generation needs to be aware of career opportunities, which is the first step towards attracting talent.
Conclusion.
I am not forgetting the contribution of institutes like Sine Calibration School, which are contributing much to the skilling needs of the industry. We need more of their breed. I also appeal to the leaders in the calibration industry to focus more on the talent problem, and ways to solve it.
After all, the first step to solving a problem is to acknowledge the existence of the problem.