Caitlin Moffitt

Manufacturers are facing unprecedented pressure from workforce turnover, rapid technology change, and rising expectations for flexibility and safety. Effective skills management is now a core operational capability that determines plant performance, resilience, and competitiveness. This panel explores how leading manufacturers are using modern skills frameworks, digital tools, and continuous upskilling models to close capability gaps, accelerate readiness, and build a workforce equipped for tomorrow's production demands.

• Create a dynamic skills matrix that reflects real operational capability, not just training completion, to ensure the right people are qualified for the right tasks.

• Reduce downtime and defects by closing critical skill gaps through targeted upskilling, multi skilling, and competency based development pathways.

• Retain institutional knowledge as experienced workers retire by capturing tacit expertise and embedding it into digital guidance and training workflows.

• Increase workforce flexibility and resilience by developing operators who can safely shift across roles, equipment, and processes.