Engineers and IT professionals

All considered scenarios foresee technological change. The main difference between the scenarios is the pace of technological change. The role of engineers and IT professionals will especially change in scenarios with high technological change. High competition also adds extra dimensions to the tasks of engineers and IT professionals. In these scenarios they will have to be able to identify and exploit opportunities for translating technological advances into marketable products. Nevertheless, the image of this job function category will gradually lose its shining image (once having been the ‘kings’ of the sector).

In all scenarios engineers and IT professionals require additional and new knowledge.

This will, for instance, include the ability to develop new software and to use new programming languages. Technological convergence will require broader, interdisciplinary knowledge, that can be applied to develop hybrid, cross-media products and to system integration. Technical knowledge is in Table 20.3 marked with black as it is essential for the future competitive position of telecommunications firms. Knowledge about green IT and eco-efficiency will be important especially in the ‘Tele-com’ and

‘Tech-com’ scenarios.

Social skills are highly relevant in scenarios with much competitive pressure or fast technological change. These social skills are team working skills, social perceptiveness and communication and networking skills. Technological developments necessitate the creation of teams in which experts co-operate to develop integrated products using different technological aspects. The increased importance of teamwork will require the improvement of communication and networking skills. These skills are also relevant to persuade management to adopt new technologies. Networking skills will be needed to gather information about technical developments, both from research institutions and competitors. Language and intercultural skills are important in Mono-tech and Tech-com, especially in across-border matrix organisations.

In high paced scenarios, ‘Tech-com’ and ‘Mono-tech’, problem solving analytical skills and initiative are needed. New technologies have a shorter time to market. This leads to more different technologies in the market and corresponding problems. Engineers need to be highly skilled in order to work out new solutions for these problems. Interdisciplinary skills are needed in fast technological and high competition scenarios, as teamwork requires a good understanding of other types of work.

Table 20.3 Emerging skills and competences engineers & IT professionals, - Lifestyle: social interaction - Income

- Trade and market regulation: degree of competition - Quality of institutions Note: shaded areas highlight specific skills and knowledge that will become relatively more important in the future, and require up-skilling and knowledge upgrading. This does not mean that blank areas are irrelevant; rather here no change in terms of up-up-skilling and knowledge upgrading is needed. The darker the area shaded the more important it is in the scenario. * Updated and validated on the basis of discussions during the final workshop, February 2009.

As the environment will be relatively dynamic in all scenarios but ‘Mono-tel’, self management skills will be needed. Flexibility is needed to adapt to changing situations and engineers and IT professionals must be able to work under stress created by time pressure.

The development of new products requires commercial thinking and the ability to ‘put oneself in the shoes of customers’, as part of entrepreneurial skills. Understanding consumers and supplier is important in highly competitive scenarios, as new and often complex products will make it necessary to develop user-friendly interfaces. Engineers need to understand customers, to spot trends and to develop products.

Management skills in the scenarios with much competitive pressure are necessary to keep costs down. Attention should be given to process optimising with cost savings effects. In three of the four scenarios except ‘Mono-tec’ more coaching and team building skills are required. In the two scenarios with strong technological change further project management skills are needed to develop new products and technologies as projects become more complex.

20.4 Technicians

The emerging skills for technicians resemble partly those required for engineers and IT professionals. For technicians there is less focus on product development and more on daily maintenance and solving consumers’ problems. Since all scenarios foresee technological progress involving convergence and the emergence of new products, all scenarios require the development of technical knowledge.

Next to knowledge technicians need to be able to communicate in a clear way about technology for those who are not familiar with all technologies. Therefore social skills are needed, like communication skills and social perceptiveness. These skills are not only needed towards customers, but also towards colleagues, such as sales personnel, but also engineers and IT professionals in order to improve products and services. They become more important if the competitive pressure increases or when technological development is fast.

In all scenarios with high market or technology dynamics, multi-skilling is expected to become an even more useful problem solving skill. In scenarios with high dynamics more is expected from technicians and they will need to be able to switch between different technologies and services.

In these scenarios flexibility and stress and time management will be more important. In the high competition scenarios planning is an important self management skill. The reason is that technicians need to be able to work efficiently and customer friendly. In order to accomplish this they need planning skills.

In the scenarios ‘Tech-com’ and ‘Tele-com’ intensive competition will require process optimization skills in order to keep costs down. Technicians function as a bridge between plans and practice and can have a valuable input into making the company more effective.

Table 20.4 Emerging skills and competences technicians, 2009-2020 - Lifestyle: social interaction - Income

- Trade and market regulation: degree of competition - Quality of institutions Note: shaded areas highlight specific skills and knowledge that will become relatively more important in the future, and require up-skilling and knowledge upgrading. This does not mean that blank areas are irrelevant; rather here no change in terms of up-up-skilling and knowledge upgrading is needed. The darker the area shaded the more important it is in the scenario.