Digital Planning’s co-founder joined leaders from education and industry at the East Midlands Manufacturing and Trade Conference to discuss skills, retention and productivity in manufacturing.
James Ferraby used the session to explore how AI, skills and workplace culture need to evolve if UK manufacturers are to keep up with rising costs, changing customer expectations and rapid advances in automation.
He also introduced Digital Planning’s new research guide, Bridging the Digital Delivery Gap in Manufacturing, which was shared to 400+ East Midlands manufacturers as a practical roadmap for this shift.
AI literacy as a foundation
James took part in the panel discussion alongside Shabir Ismail, Principal of Leicester College, Sarah Knight, Recruitment Operations Manager for ER Recruitment and Professor James Flint, Associate Dean, Education and Student Experience at Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering.
James pushed that AI literacy must now sit alongside traditional technical training for every role in a manufacturing business.
He highlighted sectors such as healthcare, where Digital Planning’s partner Gulf Medical University embeds AI modules into professional education – calling for similar systematic upskilling in manufacturing to avoid a widening capability gap.
“There is now a compound cost to not adopting AI, said James.
“Every trainee, apprentice and graduate should be learning their craft in the context of AI – how to use it as a copilot, how to compound their impact over time, and how to work effectively with partners who can help them deliver real transformation.”
Skills, safeguards and adoption
Panellists noted that most young people already use AI but lack clear guidance on what counts as valid, safe and high‑value use.
They called for shared standards on responsible AI across employers, colleges and universities, and stressed that digital capability must grow alongside core soft skills.
James closed the panel by linking these themes to the new guide, which was shared with all conference delegates.
Based on interviews with more than 80 UK organisations, the guide shows how many manufacturers still struggle to adopt AI because of fragmented data, legacy systems and limited management capacity.
It also sets out a five‑step playbook to fix those gaps in 90 days without committing to a large transformation project.
He invites manufacturers to use the guide to align AI, skills and their operating model around the specific decisions that drive cost, lead times and customer promises.
The guide will help to identify quick wins and prioritise decisions where AI and automation can remove repetitive tasks and free people to focus on higher‑value work.
