A diagnosis to adapt training to the needs of the industry of the future
Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cobotics... the development of new technologies is bringing in its wake a profound transformation of industry towards its 5.0 version. To match training and business needs, the University has conducted a diagnosis of the "production chain of the future" as part of the national call for projects France 2030 AMI-skills and professions of the future, which it won.
"The objective of the diagnosis is to determine the needs of local companies in the field of the production chain of the future and to see what needs to be improved in our training offer, particularly in order to strengthen the professional integration of our students," explains Jean-François Dubé, project leader and teacher-researcher at the University of Montpellier. The diagnosis launched by the IUT of Béziers, the IUT of Nîmes, Polytech Montpellier and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier as part of the France 2030 AMI-compétences et métiers d'avenir national call for projects, was directed by the Caisse des Dépôts, on the themes of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, with promising elements for the future of training for future employees of companies.
Differentiated needs of the territory's manufacturers
Now connected, digitalized and robotized, Industry 5.0 is transforming the main components of production chains. These transformations are giving rise to a renewed vision of the organization of work in the factory. The industry of the future is resolutely focused on people (quality of life at work, inclusion) and integrates the challenges of sustainability and eco-responsibility. All of the manufacturers interviewed as part of the diagnosis seem to have begun the digital transformation of their production chain, but say they still have some way to go in this transformation. The region's manufacturers express greater need for experts in cybersecurity (security architect, cryptologist, secure development specialist, etc.) than in artificial intelligence (AI software designer and developer, data scientist, data analyst, etc.). Conversely, the need for hybrid profiles seems to be higher in artificial intelligence than in cybersecurity, especially for engineers capable of playing a role in the digital transformation of production lines (cobotics or automation engineers, etc.). "Industry players have also expressed the need to upgrade the skills of the industry's traditional professions. By 2025, nearly 400 technicians and engineers in AI will need to be trained at the regional level, and all students will need to be trained in cybersecurity ," says Jean-François Dubé.
Towards a transformation of the training offer
The University of Montpellier offers nearly 25 training courses in industry and industrial computing, which represent more than 900 students graduating each year. It thus ensures a relative continuity of training courses in the industrial sector in the region. While the University already offers a number of courses specializing in cybersecurity and, to a lesser extent, AI, the challenge now is to train more students in these areas. From the start of the 2023 academic year, a new three-year professional degree will be offered at the IUT in Béziers, focusing on "Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Industry 4.0 and 5.0". " Ultimately, this diagnosis should enable the University's departments, schools and institutes to better guide strategic choices for transforming our training programs, both in the evolution of existing courses and in the choice of future teaching equipment to support the hybridization of profiles and the increase in learners' skills in order to improve their employability," concludes Jean-François Dubé.