The Digital Workforce - Andrew Ellis, Rockwell Automation VP of Global Portfolio Engineering

Digital Transformation is everywhere - and Rockwell Automation is right at the center of it.

Andrew Ellis is Vice President of Rockwell's Global Portfolio Engineering division, responsible for the ecosystem of solutions developed by Rockwell Automation, their acquired brands, and their many partners across the globe. He has firsthand insight into how the digital industrial world is evolving, and along with it, the way customers seek solutions and the kinds of skills required by the digital workforce.

We sat down with Andrew for a live broadcast at Rockwell Automation Fair 2022 in Chicago to discuss emerging technologies like....

• Emulate 3D digital twin software for modeling and commissioning
• Robotics integration
• FactoryTalk
• SaaS in industrial automation
• Software in the cloud and at the edge
• Partnerships with companies like PLEX, Microsoft, and others

While new technology is exciting, it also requires a whole new set of skills, a new way of educating learners, and a new way of building relationships with customers. These are 3 key insights about the digital workforce you'll glean from our conversation with Andrew:

3 Big Takeaways from this episode:

1. Digital transformation turns discrete technologies into a fully-integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, data and people: Smart manufacturing builds on traditional automation, adding things like intelligence at the edge, software in the cloud, industrial SaaS, mobile-ready data and human-machine collaboration. Andrew shares how Rockwell and their partner network are developing and deploying this ecosystem-focused approach to industrial applications.
2. The digital workforce needs foundational skills coupled with a STEM approach to learning: In an environment of ever-evolving technology, how do schools adequately prepare students for the workforce? Andrew argues that today's STEM-centric approach to education is the solution: students should learn basic fundamentals (like math & physics), be exposed to modern technology, and most importantly understand the applied purpose of technology (what problem does it solve?) and how people will interact with it in the industrial workforce.
3. Upcoming generations of the digital workforce want purposeful, people-centric careers: What do today's students want out of their future career? Purpose, an opportunity to be challenged, and a place to grow - these have been the key factors for many years. But now, the next generation raised on technology also seek careers where technology and people collaborate symbiotically, a culture that aligns with their personal values, and a company that has a sustainable, responsible presence in the global economy.

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