The food and drink industry faces a skills shortage, struggling both to retain its existing workforce and recruit the talent needed to implement new technologies. According to a recent survey, 55 per cent of those working in the food sector planned to leave their current role in the next two years - and 62 per cent of manufacturers report they will not find it easy to ensure that their businesses have the skills they need to power ahead to 2030. Leaders are faced with a situation where they must retain disillusioned employees and find the talent necessary to use new digital tools. Cross-training is a solution that could combine these two objectives, simultaneously boosting job satisfaction and filling knowledge gaps.
Down for digital
Cross-training involves providing employees with the skills and knowledge required to perform multiple roles within the organisation. This has always been a canny approach: by diversifying their skill sets, employees not only become more versatile and valuable to the company but also gain a deeper understanding of the entire operational process. However, in the context of new technologies, it becomes even more important. According to research by Deloitte and the Food Industry Association, digital skills are those most likely to increase in value, even for non-managerial, frontline workers, over the coming years. Food manufacturers are in dire need of the AAA skill set: analytics, automation and artificial intelligence.
Rather than recruiting, consider upskilling your existing workforce – as research shows that the appetite is there for learning on the job. Two-thirds of manufacturing workers view training and development as important to them in their work life, yet 35 per cent say they are not getting the quality of training and development that they expect. Digital skills programmes, therefore, help food manufacturers gain the knowledge base they need whilst also boosting employee experience. For example, production line workers can become adept at machine maintenance, by training them in the use of AI that predicts and diagnoses downtime and issues; food safety professionals can expand their role into wider quality control and improvement, through education in data acquisition and analytics. With an open-minded approach, opportunities abound.
Facilitating progress
Of course, cross-training is a significant undertaking. It requires strong communication between teams, clear expectations and transparent time management. Luckily, there are digital tools available to facilitate a streamlined cross-training journey.
A strong performance and talent software solution is essential for tracking the progress of your cross-training efforts. Such software allows employees to log and track agile goals, facilitates regular conversations with managers, and enables feedback from peers and supervisors. For deskless employees, it digitalises the process of tracking and managing training, meaning that workers can communicate their progress using personal devices – and means managers have ready data at their fingertips of how upskilling programmes are progressing. Cross-training requires significant time, resource and cash investment, so it is vital to have a solution that enables you to connect directly with your workforce and ensure goals are being met.
As the food manufacturing industry continues to face a skills crisis, cross-training presents a viable solution to retain staff, enhance job satisfaction, and future-proof your business. By investing in the right tools and fostering a culture of continuous learning, you can build a versatile and resilient workforce capable of thriving in a fast-moving world.