Alex Clarke's factory visits inform this 2023 account of changing heavy-engineering work. The plants he describes use much less manual labor and rely more heavily on technology and machine control. Earlier work rewarded people who could inspect a physical problem and work out a practical solution in front of them. Automated production places more emphasis on reasoning through a problem mentally before acting through the machinery. The change therefore affects the kinds of skills employers need as well as the amount of manual work available.
Notable Point · 3:58:02-3:59:09
Automation changes the skills heavy engineering requires
Machine-controlled production changes heavy engineering's demand for practical and abstract problem-solving skills.