Compass Staff |
Smart manufacturers have learned a valuable lesson amid all the digital transformation happening across the industry: Successfully introducing new technology into the workplace isn’t about hardware or software: it’s about wetware (human beings). In the AI era, if you want to be the kind of nimble manufacturing business that can make the most of successive waves of tech innovation (from Internet of Things to 3D printing to digital twins to Generative AI), you need human beings with the right mixtures of education, experience, and hard skills and soft skills.
But everywhere and seemingly all at once, manufacturers are experiencing their greatest wetware problem in decades. Not only are they struggling to fill open roles, but they face widening skills gaps in areas like automation, precision engineering, and data-driven production. Not to mention the soft skills like problem-solving, communication, and creativity, which are critical to working alongside complex AI-driven systems. All told, by 2030, an estimated 2.1 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled because of a lack of qualified talent. This challenge places a premium on workforce development and strategic upskilling, with the work starting in the classroom.
One learning institution that’s heeded the call and embraced the ethos of combining technical expertise with soft, or durable, skill-building is Purdue Global. Softer skills like empathy, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication are often referred to as durable skills because, unlike technical or hard skills that can quickly become obsolete due to technological advancements, they remain relevant and valuable throughout a person’s career. And the online university for working adults has developed an applied manufacturing program that prioritizes these skills right alongside technical proficiency.
“Our programs are designed to balance hard and soft skills to ensure students can not only operate complex machinery but also lead teams effectively,” explained Art Sedighi, a professor in Purdue Global’s School of Business and Information Technology. This educational strategy acknowledges a growing trend in manufacturing: As investment dollars flow to digitization and emerging technologies, the skills needed most for the future are not only data analytics (to make sense of all that data that AI generates), but an agile mindset, problem-solving and critical thinking, and interpersonal communication.
As Purdue Global has observed, many students already have basic technical skills but may not have the “managerial or written/interpersonal communication skills” needed to advance in their careers, said Toney Ferguson, a professor in Purdue Global’s School of Business and Information Technology.
But as Purdue Global has experienced, striking the right balance between hard and soft skills is not as simple as adding courses to a curriculum. It requires a dynamic approach that accounts for the highly technical and specialized skills needed today as well as the soft-skilling needed to work with and manage complex machines, operations, and teams.
Purdue Global’s four-pronged approach
Here are four elements to consider, based on Purdue Global’s experience developing a manufacturing-centric educational program.
Experiential learning
The How: Purdue Global bridges the gap between hard and soft skills through experiential learning tools, including virtual labs, simulations, and industry-standard software. Virtual environments mimic manufacturing floors to give students a near-hands-on experience. Supply-chain students, for example, work with real-time SAP environments. Others can simulate operating hydraulic systems or measuring circuits, giving them practical exposure to physical manufacturing processes without requiring costly machines.
The Why: As Ferguson explained, “these simulations allow students to make real-time decisions and develop both technical acumen and teamwork under pressure.”
The bottom-line impact of learning in a virtual environment, according to Sedighi, is to give students the ability to apply technical knowledge while proving their ability to work collaboratively and manage projects – all without being on an actual factory floor.
Micro-credentials for workforce mobility
The How: Another significant focus of Purdue Global’s approach is creating “modular” learning pathways that cater to diverse skill levels. Unlike four-year degree programs, Purdue Global's “stackable” micro-credential courses are designed to address immediate skill gaps while supporting long-term career growth, making them particularly valuable in industries with acute labor shortages, like manufacturing. For example, Guild supported Purdue Global in its development of a “Foundations of Industrial and Manufacturing” course and a “Manufacturing Essentials” micro-credential to upskill production workers and fill critical gaps.
The Why: At their core, micro-credentials let students enter at different points based on proficiency level and “stack” certifications and courses as they progress toward a full degree (if that’s their end goal).
“Some students come with very limited skills, while others are seasoned supervisors aiming for director or VP roles,” explained Sedighi. “Our modular courses allow students to start where they are and build the skills they need to advance.”
Most critically, Purdue Global’s micro-credentials are designed for flexibility. Each “track” provides foundational knowledge and builds toward more advanced competencies, from technical project management to digital-transformation management. The goal is to provide both technical and interpersonal skills for long-term success.
Hyper-focused data-analytics training
The How: Rather than displacing workers, AI is putting them in the center of machine-assisted processes that are transforming creative work, scientific discovery, physical operations, and manufacturing. But there is a catch-22 to deploying technology to resolve skills gaps — finding the skills up front to build and maintain AI and IoT systems. Lack of skills is often cited as a major hindrance to implementing technologies such as AI or IoT.
Against this backdrop, Purdue Global focuses AI curricula on data – how to curate, clean, and analyze data to optimize processes like inventory management, traffic flow, and real-time decision making.
The Why: The goal, noted Ferguson, is to get students ready to “apply AI in practical ways.” But just as AI is revolutionizing manufacturing, from quality detection to predictive maintenance, AI is also a teaching tool that is helping Purdue Global create simulated environments that prepare students for real-world applications.
Outside-in perspectives
The How: Collaboration with industry partners is central to Purdue Global’s curriculum design. The university conducts regular curriculum reviews with industry advisory boards to ensure programs align with the latest trends and workforce needs. This allows Purdue Global’s programs to stay on the leading edge of technological and business change.
The Why: Regular feedback from industry advisory boards creates a virtuous cycle where Purdue Global constantly refines curricula to incorporate both technical and managerial skills, ensuring students are ready for leadership roles, and that then provides valuable insights to industry.
Hybrid skills for a hybrid era
As manufacturing continues its rapid transformation, the most successful organizations will be those that recognize the critical balance between technical proficiency and durable, human-centric skills. Purdue Global’s approach demonstrates that developing a future-ready workforce requires more than just teaching hard skills — it demands experiential learning, flexible credentialing, and a strong emphasis on adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership. In the era of automation, the key to competitive advantage isn’t just technology — it’s the people who can harness it.
