Strategies for Reinforcing Employee Resilience Against Cyber Threats
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, the importance of upskilling employees in digital competencies has become paramount, particularly for medium-sized companies. Schnorr, a machine builder in Sindelfingen, is leading the charge in this regard, as part of a strategic personnel policy approach.
The European Union's Digcomp reference framework recommends the development of five digital core competencies for companies: handling digital information and data, digital communication and cooperation, creating, adapting, and distributing digital content, understanding IT security and data protection, and problem-solving competence in the digital space. However, ethical sensitivity when handling AI results is not explicitly a focus in this framework.
Schnorr's approach to addressing this gap is multi-faceted. They begin by assessing the existing skill levels of their employees to identify gaps related to digital competencies. Based on this analysis, they develop customized training programs that address specific needs rather than generic digital skills.
The company employs a blended learning approach, combining traditional instructor-led training with e-learning modules and hands-on workshops. This allows employees flexibility while ensuring practical application of digital tools relevant to their job functions.
Employees at Schnorr work on projects that incorporate digital technologies currently being implemented at the company, such as automation or data analytics in production processes. This real-world application makes learning more relevant and immediately useful.
Schnorr also fosters interdepartmental cooperation, encouraging employees from IT, production, and management to share knowledge and experiences. This promotes a holistic understanding of digitalization impacts.
The company's management actively supports digital competency development. Leaders set clear digitalization goals and allocate resources, signaling the strategic importance of these skills.
Rather than one-time training, Schnorr emphasizes continuous learning with ongoing workshops, refresher courses, and updates as digital technology evolves. When necessary, they collaborate with external consultants, digital technology providers, or educational institutions to bring specialized knowledge into the training programs.
Corinna Schindler, personnel manager at Schnorr, emphasizes that employees are not left alone with tools and programs but are systematically trained to move safely in a digitalized working world.
The "Qualidigi" pilot project of the RKW Baden-Württemberg consulting network was used to analyze Schnorr's personnel processes and identify IT and digitalization competencies.
Companies should convey a basic understanding of handling AI and create spaces for practical experience, but not every employee needs to become an AI specialist. Technical basic understanding and ethical sensitivity, such as transparency, data protection, and handling biases in data sets, are crucial for understanding and evaluating decisions and results.
Online tools like Degreed, Mercateam, or Neobrain can help businesses analyze digital competencies required for individual tasks, identify training needs, and develop training plans. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) Munich recommends viewing the digitalization of the working world as a continuous learning process.
The IHK Rhein-Neckar offers courses on "Future Skills" to help employees adapt to new situations, find innovative solutions, and act flexibly in the context of digitalization. A Bitkom study reveals that many companies offer digital training sporadically, with only a third having long-term plans.
In conclusion, Schnorr's strategic approach to upskilling their workforce in digital skills offers valuable insights for medium-sized companies looking to address the challenges posed by digitalization. By focusing on targeted skills assessment, blended learning, real-world projects, cross-department collaboration, leadership involvement, continuous learning, and the use of external experts, Schnorr effectively enhances their employees’ digital competencies, supporting the company’s overall digital transformation.
- Recognizing the significance of ethics in AI, Schnorr incorporates training on transparency, data protection, and handling biases in data sets to ensure their employees understand and evaluate decisions and results within the digital space.
- In light of the European Union's Digcomp reference framework, Schnorr expands on the fundamental digital skills by emphasizing continuous learning, collaborating with external experts, and encouraging interdepartmental knowledge sharing to foster a holistic understanding of digitalization's impacts on their business.
