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Current Overview:
The blue-collar workforce typically refers to individuals engaged in manual labour or skilled trade occupations, such as construction workers, factory workers, plumbers, electricians, and so on. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, blue-collar jobs make up 29% of all jobs in the United States.
In today’s high-tech world, it is possible to overlook blue-collar workers, especially when it comes to learning and development as they do not work in an office or have a desk job. However, blue-collar workers still need to learn new skills to keep their current jobs and advance within their field.
Problem Statement:
Blue-collar work has faced several challenges and advancements in recent years, which have impacted the industry in significant ways. One of the most prominent challenges is the rise of technological advancements and automation, which has led to the displacement of blue-collar jobs. For example, machines can now perform tasks that were previously done by hand, leading to a decrease in the need for manual labour. However, this trend has also created new opportunities in fields such as robotics and automation, requiring workers to adapt and learn new skills.
Another significant challenge for blue-collar workers has been the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many blue-collar jobs, such as those in the hospitality and service industries, were particularly hard hit by the pandemic, as they were deemed non-essential and had to shut down temporarily. This led to job losses and economic hardships for many blue-collar workers. However, the pandemic has also highlighted the importance of blue-collar work in providing essential services, such as healthcare and transportation, and has led to increased recognition and appreciation for these workers.
Overall, while blue-collar work has faced several challenges and advancements in recent years, there are also new opportunities and potential for growth and advancement in the industry. It is crucial for workers and the industry to adapt and evolve to meet these challenges and continue to provide essential services to society.
When it comes to learning and training for the blue-collar workforce, there are several challenges that are often encountered. Here are some of them:
Limited educational background: Many individuals in the blue-collar workforce may have limited formal education or may not have completed high school. This can pose challenges when it comes to learning new concepts, understanding complex instructions, or adapting to technological advancements in their fields.
Language and literacy barriers: Language and literacy skills can be a barrier to effective learning for few blue-collar workers. If the training materials are presented in a language that is not their first language or if the materials are primarily text-based, it can impede their ability to comprehend and retain the information.
Hands-on learning requirements: Blue-collar occupations often involve hands-on skills that cannot be fully learned through theoretical instruction alone. Practical training and experience are essential components of their learning process. Providing adequate opportunities for hands-on practice can be a challenge, especially in situations where on-the-job training is limited.
Limited access to training resources: Few blue-collar workers may have limited access to training resources, such as workshops, training centres, or online learning platforms. This can be due to geographical constraints, lack of financial resources, or limited awareness about available training programs.
Time constraints: Blue-collar workers often have demanding work schedules and may work long hours or have shift work. Finding time for additional learning and training can be difficult, especially if it requires attending classes or workshops outside of their regular working hours.
Technological advancements: With rapid technological advancements in various industries, blue-collar workers need to continuously update their skills to remain relevant. However, adopting new technologies and understanding their applications can be challenging, particularly for those who have limited exposure to digital tools and lower computer literacy.
Safety considerations: Many blue-collar jobs involve working in hazardous environments or with heavy machinery. Safety training is crucial to minimize workplace accidents and injuries. However, ensuring that safety protocols are effectively understood and practised by the workforce can be a challenge, due to various factors like language barriers or limited literacy skills.
Remote work locations: Many blue-collar jobs are at remote location where limited to no internet access is available. This can be major challenge as digital courses or learning material is accessible via internet.
Solution:
Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach that considers the specific needs and circumstances of the blue-collar workforce. This can involve implementing tailored training programs that that incorporate hands-on learning, using visual aids, multimedia resources and immersive learning to enhance comprehension, providing flexible learning options to accommodate work schedules, offering language support and literacy programs, and promoting partnerships between industry, educational institutions, and government agencies to improve access to training resources.
Using digital methods to offer training and development via digital learning platforms can ensure that blue-collar employees are receiving training that is:
• Personal - - Learning platforms offer personalized training so that each employee is able to learn in the way that suits them best. Blue-collar employees can be highly varied in their skill sets having different educational backgrounds and learning styles; offering personalized learning solutions is beneficial.
• Easily updated - Training and learning content can be updated to consider new machinery or processes, so current employees can be upskilled instead of being replaced.
• Measurable - As learning platforms digitally track all user performance, the employees as well as the organization can obtain valuable insights into the outcomes of learning.
• Interactive - The interactive nature of learning platforms makes it easy to promote two-way communication. In some industries, it can be more important to collect continuous feedback from blue-collar employees as they are better placed to spot bottlenecks and offer suggestions to improve processes.
• Easily accessible: The ease of accessing the learning courses without internet can play vital role and remove all the dependency. Workers can learn from anywhere and anytime.
Therefore, the solution should have three major components as explained in below image:
Figure 1: Proposed Solution
TCS offers a solution that will enable offline learning with customized training programs, that will make learning more engaging, and outcome based. Below will be three major components of this solution:
• TCS iON PAPER TM device:
TCS ION PAPER TM device is a unique handheld device, which primarily aims at secure upload and electronic delivery of learning content, demonstrations, and question papers directly to the learner without the need of internet/network
o The device can also be leveraged for several manufacturing processes, viz. learning by blue-collar, for accessing learner portal, for upskilling and certifications.
o The device has been built keeping in mind all the constraints so that it achieves the desired functionalities in the offline mode.
o This is a horizontal innovation and can be used for multiple use cases across sectors such as education, banking, manufacturing, and market research.
• TCS iON Digital Learning (iDL):
iDL is a cloud-based platform that provides capability to address capabilities to address diverse learner profiles. With this platform blue-collar workforce will be able to:
o Learn at their own pace
o Learn through interactions, assessments, quiz, assignment
o Hands-on learning
o Immersive and engaging learning via Gamification
• TCS iON Talent Development Centre (TDC):
TDC as a service focuses on creating an end-to-end learning solution that integrates the relevant content, learning tools, solutions, and services on per employee subscription mode. Therefore, TDC will provide required personalization of blue-collar training courses. TDC offers:
o An end-to-end talent development offering that helps to create an impactful learning culture through innovative learning approaches.
o We are differentiated by best-in-class curated learning solutions & services from learning experts to improve learning outcomes.
o It is relevant at this time when talent provides the edge in business, but talent is scarce; effective, remotely enabled learning is required to get that edge.
Therefore, a combination of TCS iON PAPER TM device along with iDL and TDC will be the most suited solution for blue-collar learning challenges.
• TCS iON PAPERTM device can enable offline learning.
• iDL can offer various training courses that are relevant to a specific blue-collar job
• With the help of TCS iON Talent Development Centre (TDC), these courses can be made customizable as per the requirement of the specific job.
With the proposed approach and platforms, following can be an ideal day for a blue-collar employee:
Figure 2: Blue-Collar learning Journey
Therefore, organizations can achieve:
• Anytime anywhere learning
• Learning in the flow of work
• Community learning
• Data driven
• Immersive learning
• Experiential & fun
• Personalized learning
• Linked to career progression
We understand that experience brings more customer confidence in the services and platform proposed. TCS is part of larger TATA group that is in the business for more than 50 years. Our global customer engagements have helped us focus on innovations that are always beneficials for our customers.
Currently, more than 13000 TCS iON PAPER TM device is being used by customers globally. The numbers below will provide a detailed overview of the reach and usability of the solution.
Figure 3: TCS iON PAPER TM device digits
Please refer to the case study below to view the scope and implementation of TCS iON PAPER device for
Sapix Yozemi Group:
Sapix Yozemi Group raises the development of the expressive power logical thinking as an educational philosophy, from early childhood education. They were the first in the industry to launch the Scholastic Reasoning Test (SRT) and has been actively working to develop the four skills of English, such as grouping with the best teachers. Yozemi has chosen TCS iON PAPERTM device to transform the conduct English Tests in Japan.
Figure 4: TCS iON PAPER device case study
We have extensive experience in developing customer centric courses and making it relevant to their specific needs. We have more than 600 customer who are using our Digital Learning platform, iDL has more than 16 Mn learners across the globe. The numbers below will provide a detailed overview of the reach and usability of the platform:
Figure 5: TCS iON Digital Learning Digits
iDL has been used by customers like – Hatch Digital, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Therefore, we can assure that proposed solution with be most beneficial and will resolve most of the blue-collar’s training challenges.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, blue-collar work is a diverse and essential part of industry that plays a crucial role in the economy and society. It offers fulfilling and rewarding career paths for many individuals, regardless of gender, education level, or socioeconomic background. However, blue-collar work is often plagued by stereotypes and misconceptions that can limit opportunities and undermine the contributions of blue-collar workers.
To make blue-collar more equipped, it is important that they get enough learning opportunities that allow them to learn on the go and stay relevant. TCS iON PAPER TM device will ensure anywhere, anytime learning. Organizations can also measure learning outcomes with the help TDC offered learning programs. This will help organization in identifying right skill for their offered job.