Abstract:

During the last 10-15 years plenty of studies had been carried out to examine and detect new competences that are needed due to the ongoing digitization of workplaces (e.g. acatech 2016). In contrast, only a few studies dealt with the question of how to maintain existing competences that are still needed, especially in non-routine-situations.

In routine situations, skilled workers (above all chemical technician and pharmaceutical technician) require significantly fewer competences than they have acquired through their training. The situation is quite different, however, in the so-called non-routine situations (malfunctions, new installations), which occur even in highly automated production systems (Bainbridge 1983). In these situations, the skilled workers have to mobilise a wealth of knowledge and skills ad hoc in order to make decisions quickly and competently and to initiate action steps. However, because these special knowledge and skills are due to automation often not required for longer periods, they are exposed to the danger of being forgotten or no longer being able to be activated (quickly enough)(Bjork & Bjork 2006). This problem, technically referred to as skill decay was already adressed in high-risk industries such as aviation or nuclear-power plants. Concerning workplaces in process-oriented industries such as chemical or pharmaceutical production no empirical studies had been carried out so far.

CONDITION aims to close this gap adressing the question if the problem of automation induced skill decay also exists in the workplaces of the chemical and pharmaceutical production. Furthermore we wanted to find out in what way this decay applies to the occupational activities of chemical technician and pharmaceutical production assistants (which workplaces are affected, how often does this problem occure, which factors influence the skill decay, what are the consequences). Moreover the project aims at developing training interventions which could help to prevent the skill decay and support the important retention of skills needed in non-routine situations.

We use a mixed method approach. We started with 21 qualitative interviews with professionals, managers and members of the quality management to get an idea of how the problem of automation induced skill decay presents itself at the respective workplaces. The data gave us a first qualitative picture of the problem and we were able to identify the relevant factors concerning skill decay at workplaces of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Currently we prepare an online survey (same target group) by which we will investigate how the quantitative distribution of the already known qualitative information is. At the conference we will present the outcomes of the interviews and first results from the survey.

References:
[1] Acatech (Hrsg.): Kompetenzentwicklungsstudie Industrie 4.0 – Erste Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen. München 2016. - URL: http://www.acatech.de/Publikation/kompetenzentwicklungsstudie-industrie-4-0-erste-ergebnisse-und-schlussfolgerungen (Stand 10.11.21)
[2] Bainbridge, Lisanne: Ironies of automation. In: Automatica, 19 (1983) 6, S. 775-779
[3] Bjork, Robert A.; Bjork, Elizabeth L.: Optimizing treatment and instruction: Implications of a new theory of disuse. In: Nilsson, Lars-Göran G; Ohta, Nobuo (Hrsg.): Memory and society: Psychological perspectives. New York 2006, S. 109-134

Keywords:

Digitization, competence, skill retention, skill decay, chemical industry.