Rise of the multi-skilled workforce as employers ‘reimagine’ jobs

Employers in Lancashire are having to rethink traditional roles – with digitally savvy homecare assistants and manual workers with programming skills part of a rising multi-skilled workforce.

The changing face of the region’s workforce is revealed in the Skills Barometer 2025, an annual reading of the skills landscape by the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology (IoT), a collaboration of eight colleges and three universities.

The report found that businesses are coming up with innovative ways to get the skills they need with new-look employees that break the traditional mould.

One homecare employer in Lytham St Annes reported requiring staff that can not only update digital records but analyse the data to enable them to provide better care.

And a Morecambe-based manufacturer struggling to find qualified welders decided to think differently – investing in a robotic welder and upskilling a member of staff to control it.

Linda Dean, managing director, said: "Multi-skilled roles are the new reality for businesses across Lancashire and Cumbria and it’s exciting to see how businesses are stepping up and adapting.

“These stories of manufacturers investing in cobots or healthcare workers needing data analytical skills reflect a wider trend where the workforce is evolving faster than ever. For those willing to invest in skills and rethink job roles, it’s a huge opportunity to futureproof their business.”

The IoT is made up of Blackpool and the Fylde College, Burnley College, Blackburn College, Nelson and Colne College, Preston College, Lancashire and Morecambe College, Runshaw College and Lakes College, along with the University of Lancashire, Edge Hill University and Lancaster University. It collaborates with employers to ensure technical training meets industry needs.

The Skills Barometer, now in its second year, gathered insight from businesses and experts representing the IoT’s six key sectors – engineering and manufacturing, automotive, computing and digital, construction, health and medical, and science.

It asked three questions – what are the skills gaps now, what skills will be needed in the next three to five years, and what do employers need from educators.

The report, published this week, found that multi-skilled and interdisciplinary roles are on the rise, blending traditional technical skills with emerging technologies. Digital literacy and AI skills are becoming universal requirements regardless of the sector.

Blackpool and the Fylde College, one of the IoT’s academic partners, reported that 90 per cent of the enquiries it receives from businesses interested in training is around machine learning for business improvement, such as saving time and reducing costs.

The report also found that soft skills are seen to be as crucial as technical skills, with employers often prioritising communication, emotional intelligence, teamwork and accountability.

Linda said: “In almost every sector, digital fluency is no longer optional, it’s essential. We’re building workforces where job titles might not change but what those roles look like will. Our role, as an IoT, is to make sure the training we offer evolves just as fast as the jobs themselves and collaboration is essential to bridging these gaps.”

Evidence-based practice is way health industry is moving

Care provider Clifton Homecare Limited found it needed additional skills when it moved from paper to digital care records.  

Not only do domiciliary care assistants need digital skills to use the technology, they also require the ability to analyse the wealth of data the system creates.    

Caroline Cosh, nominated individual and registered manager of the Lytham St Annes-based care provider, says her business has embraced digital methods in response to the government’s goal for the social care sector to be digitally competent.  

She said: “Say, for example, Mrs Smith experiences a fall; we analyse the time and location of the fall, events leading up to the fall and any other patterns and trends to help prevent further falls and educate other clients too. 

“Digital records allow us to link together all this information so we can provide better care, but we need the skills to spot those patterns. This evidence-based practice is the way the industry is moving.” 

Manual skills were scarce… enter the cobot welder

Morecambe-based Shermaynes Engineering has invested in technology after struggling to find welders in a competitive market.  

When the sheet metal fabricator found wage inflation was leading to a challenge in recruiting welders, it made an investment – both in increasing the number of apprentices in the business and in the addition of a cobot welder. 

 The cobot requires the employee controlling it to have skills in programming rather than welding and has made a big difference to the business, which is a sub-contract engineer making anything from prison doors to mortuary trolleys.  

Steve Brookfield, director, said: “We bought ourselves a cobot welder and we asked for volunteers to be trained to use it. It’s made a big impact on our business and follows our approach of allowing everyone the opportunity to upskill.”

You can download the report on the IoT’s website.