Future Skills and Workforce Readiness: A Case Study in Glazing and Aluminium Fabrication
Romanova, Anastasia (2026)
2026
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2026052818820
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2026052818820
Tiivistelmä
Work is being reshaped at a fundamental level by technological progress and the emergence of Industry 5.0. This shift presents organisations across all sectors with a significant challenge: equipping their workforce to adapt and remain effective in the new landscape. This thesis investigates workforce future readiness within a case company operating in the glazing and aluminium industry, examining the skills required and assessing the organisation's capacity to meet these evolving demands.
The research explores three central questions: (1) what future skills and competencies the case company requires in the context of Industry 5.0; (2) what the current state of workforce readiness is, including the factors influencing the gap between existing competencies and future demands; and (3) how Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) practices can contribute to workforce readiness. The study focuses specifically on fabricators, as they are the personnel most directly affected by industry transformation and central to the organisation's core operations.
The theoretical framework covers the future of work, Industry 5.0, future skills, and Strategic Human Resource Management. It relies on four theoretical perspectives: Human Capital Theory, the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, and Sociotechnical Systems Theory. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research draws on seven semi-structured interviews with fabricators and managers, which were analysed using thematic analysis.
The results show that future fabrication work requires a broad hybrid skill set, combining technical, technological, cognitive, interpersonal, behavioural, and physical competencies. Although fabricators show strong readiness in core operational areas, the research identified three major skill gaps: a complete lack of sustainability and green competencies, surface-level digital literacy compared to what Industry 5.0 will demand, and limited strategic and systemslevel thinking. On the HR side, the case company has genuine strengths, such as a strong learning culture, effective multi-skilling and job rotation, meaningful performance discussions, and a collaborative environment. However, change management requires further attention, and workforce planning is largely reactive rather than anticipatory. To address these challenges, the thesis offers five interconnected practical recommendations to help the organisation build a future-ready workforce.
The research explores three central questions: (1) what future skills and competencies the case company requires in the context of Industry 5.0; (2) what the current state of workforce readiness is, including the factors influencing the gap between existing competencies and future demands; and (3) how Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) practices can contribute to workforce readiness. The study focuses specifically on fabricators, as they are the personnel most directly affected by industry transformation and central to the organisation's core operations.
The theoretical framework covers the future of work, Industry 5.0, future skills, and Strategic Human Resource Management. It relies on four theoretical perspectives: Human Capital Theory, the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, and Sociotechnical Systems Theory. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research draws on seven semi-structured interviews with fabricators and managers, which were analysed using thematic analysis.
The results show that future fabrication work requires a broad hybrid skill set, combining technical, technological, cognitive, interpersonal, behavioural, and physical competencies. Although fabricators show strong readiness in core operational areas, the research identified three major skill gaps: a complete lack of sustainability and green competencies, surface-level digital literacy compared to what Industry 5.0 will demand, and limited strategic and systemslevel thinking. On the HR side, the case company has genuine strengths, such as a strong learning culture, effective multi-skilling and job rotation, meaningful performance discussions, and a collaborative environment. However, change management requires further attention, and workforce planning is largely reactive rather than anticipatory. To address these challenges, the thesis offers five interconnected practical recommendations to help the organisation build a future-ready workforce.