Revolutionizing Front‑Line Training in Manufacturing & Engineering for the Future Industry

Despite the hype surrounding Industry 4.0, a global skills and labor shortage is slowing progress. In manufacturing, an existing skills gap was amplified by the pandemic. Deloitte projects that U.S. manufacturing will face 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030.

The Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) reports that 49 % of engineering firms struggle to find qualified talent externally, while 45 % confront internal skills gaps.

Emerging technologies—generative AI, the industrial metaverse, AR/VR/XR—are evolving rapidly and hold promise for tackling these challenges.

LG Electronics exemplifies this trend. Since 2021, its North America Innovation Center—LG NOVA—has been exploring breakthrough concepts and building new businesses that address real‑world problems across diverse industries.

Smart Technologies as a Catalyst

Continued investment in smart tech such as generative AI and XR will accelerate the next wave of digitization in manufacturing. These tools can streamline operations, enhance data connectivity, drive analytics, and improve human‑machine interaction.

Yet technology alone is insufficient. To thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, companies must overhaul their upskilling, reskilling, and training strategies.

McKinsey defines upskilling as learning new skills that support an employee’s current role, while reskilling involves training workers for entirely new positions.

Traditional training manuals and lengthy videos no longer resonate. The average millennial attention span is just eight seconds, and by 2025 millennials are projected to make up 75 % of the workforce (TeamStage). Training must therefore be more engaging, concise, and tailored.

In the short term, smart technologies will most benefit training, upskilling, and reskilling. Long‑term, we anticipate a 180‑degree shift toward immersive, intuitive, and personalized modules that cover safety, compliance, and best practices.

Start‑ups Pioneering the Future of Training

Several startups—Nakamir, Fabrik, Talespin, and iQ3Connect—have been selected for LG NOVA’s “Mission for the Future” program.

• Nakamir offers an Augmented Reality Assistant that overlays contextual instructions in real‑time.
• Fabrik provides a no‑code web interface that lets businesses create XR experiences and perform digital twinning.
• Talespin develops a spatial computing platform that powers talent development and skills mobility.
• iQ3Connect delivers a no‑code platform for building, delivering, and consuming complex 3D enterprise applications across AR, VR, PC, and mobile devices.

By transforming training into an intuitive experience, these companies aim to build a stronger, better‑skilled workforce that fuels innovation, improves employee retention, and drives business growth.

Shilpa Prasad, Director of New Ventures and Entrepreneur in Residence at LG NOVA, emphasizes the importance of marrying cutting‑edge tech with practical training solutions.

Keywords: AI, Machine Learning, Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Skill Development.