Inaugural I4AMF identifies industry priorities

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Priority strategies to transform Australia’s manufacturing industries and build global competitive advantage were today debated by leaders from business, research, education and training, unions and government attending the inaugural conference of the Industry 4.0 Advanced Manufacturing Forum (I4AMF).

Essential to Australia’s transition to Industry 4.0 is a sufficient and growing supply of appropriately skilled people. This requires industry, education and training organisations to work closely to design and develop an appropriate range of training opportunities for the existing and future workforce. One example of industry-led leadership is a unique apprenticeships program, between Ai Group, Siemens and Swinburne University of Technology, which has unleashed new talent, given Australians a chance to transition into new roles, and has shown just how real the benefits can be.

Australia is home to many great ideas and innovation in deep technology across a number of sectors. However, translating these into action requires collaboration between educational institutions, businesses, unions, peak bodies and government. Delegates at today’s conference heard about a number of initiatives the I4AMF is leading, including the development of the National Industry 4.0 Testlab Network and the report Transforming Australian Manufacturing: Preparing businesses and workplaces for Industry 4.0. Delegates were also updated on support initiatives by Industry Growth Centres AMGC and AustCyber and the Innovative Manufacturing CRC.