Challenges
Despite of skill upgradation, embracing the new automated
age will still pose challenges.
• Awareness and interest, on new technologies is still at nascent level in the Indian industries. With more than 80 percent of the Indian industries coming under SME category, the importance of automation is still to be understood. Many industries even though aware of the benefits of automation are resistant to change due to various factors.
• The high cost of automation machineries and equipment,
the skill set of the present workforce to handle the automation
and sustain is a big concern, as most of the items
are being imported.
• The cost of training and upgradation of the existing manpower is also taking a back seat with the threat of retention of this skilled manpower.
• At the same there has been a resistance on the part of the grass root level employees to level up. This added with low priority from the government agencies, labour organisations on the skill upgradation, could eventually lead to job threat of the lower employee class.
Universities lay the foundation of knowledge and skill across different areas. This function needs a big changeover. As on today very few universities/colleges offer programmes on automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, etc. There is an immediate need of industry and institutes coming together and address the need for filling this gap of skilled manpower to take up the challenges of technological advancements.
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