Even the best systems and strategies fail without a workforce that is ready to use them. Manufacturers are facing growing skills gaps as experienced technicians retire, new technologies are deployed, and younger engineers enter the industry without the depth of hands-on plant floor experience. The result is slow adoption of new systems, underutilized tools, and missed opportunities for improvement.
Joltek helps organizations close this gap by developing training and education programs tailored to engineering teams, operations staff, and leadership. With experience building SolisPLC, one of the world’s most recognized industrial automation training platforms, and by working directly with plant managers and technicians, we understand how to translate technical complexity into practical learning that drives measurable impact.
Joltek provides education that connects directly to business outcomes. We focus on:
1. Skills Assessments
2. Customized Training Programs
3. Change Management Support
4. Long-Term Capability Building
A manufacturer had recently upgraded their SCADA platform as part of a broader modernization project, but six months after go-live, operators were still falling back to manual workarounds and paper logs. Adoption was low because the training provided during implementation was vendor-led and generic. Joltek conducted a skills assessment, identified the most critical gaps, and developed a hands-on training program tied to the actual production scenarios operators encountered daily. Within eight weeks, SCADA utilization increased significantly and manual workarounds were eliminated on the primary production lines.
A growing food and beverage company had hired several junior engineers to support plant operations but found they lacked foundational knowledge in PLC programming, industrial networking, and automation fundamentals. The gap was slowing down maintenance response times and limiting the team’s ability to support system changes. Joltek designed a structured six-month upskilling program covering PLC basics, HMI fundamentals, network concepts, and hands-on lab exercises. The team completed the program with measurable improvement in troubleshooting speed and first-call resolution on production issues.
A manufacturer operating six plants had no consistent training program across facilities. Each site had developed its own on-the-job approach, resulting in inconsistent competency levels and difficulty moving staff between locations. Joltek conducted a company-wide skills assessment, built a standardized training curriculum aligned to their technology stack, and created a train-the-trainer program so internal champions could sustain the learning program independently. The result was a shared competency framework and significantly improved confidence in cross-site staff coverage.
The manufacturing skills gap refers to the growing mismatch between the technical knowledge employers need and what the available workforce possesses. As experienced technicians retire and automation increases, facilities struggle to find engineers and operators who can maintain and improve modern control systems. This leads to slower troubleshooting, underutilized technology investments, and higher dependency on external contractors for routine tasks.
Joltek provides targeted technical training across PLC programming, SCADA operations, industrial networking, HMI development, data historian usage, and OT cybersecurity fundamentals. Training is always customized to the specific platforms and systems in use at each facility rather than being delivered as generic vendor courses.
Engagements vary from single-day workshops to multi-month structured programs. A skills assessment typically takes 1–2 weeks. Custom curriculum development takes 2–4 weeks. Training delivery is scheduled around production requirements to minimize operational impact. Joltek also offers train-the-trainer programs so internal champions can sustain the program after the engagement ends.
Yes. Joltek designs separate training tracks for different roles. Operator training focuses on HMI navigation, alarm management, and standard operating procedures. Engineering training covers PLC programming, troubleshooting, network architecture, and system integration. Leadership training focuses on KPI frameworks, OT governance, and technology strategy for plant managers and operations directors.
Explore these Joltek resources on workforce development and manufacturing education:
