Kuraray Europe GmbH Sustainability Blog Fit for the digital future
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From cloud platforms and Big Data to artificial intelligence – companies are seizing the opportunities offered by digital transformation for new forms of cooperation and to develop innovative products, systems and processes. At Kuraray too, innovative digital technologies are bringing fundamental changes in how we produce our products and work together. Evidently, that means getting our employees on board. Therefore, we’ve developed an ambitious digital upskilling programme, which the first participants have now completed.
It was a proud day for 25 of our employees: at the beginning of February, they met up in Aachen for the big end-of-course event following an intensive six-month programme including project work and passing an exam. That was a truly pioneering achievement because they were the first cohort from our European and US sites to take the Kuraray Group’s global DX Talent Development Programme’s gold course.
The gold courses are part of a new series of in-service training courses that are currently being rolled out worldwide. Their aim is to give participants key knowledge and skills for the digital age. While the bronze course is a video format providing basic digital knowledge for all Kuraray employees, the silver and gold courses are hybrid training programmes leading to an exam and a certificate from the renowned RWTH University in Aachen, Germany. The focus is less on specialist technical knowledge and more about empowering employees to successfully drive forward digital projects in their business unit or function.
The content of the silver and gold courses is therefore very wide-ranging. As well as gaining an understanding of the strategic dimension of the digital transformation, participants learn about creating digital content, analysis methods and how to use artificial intelligence. The curriculum also includes improving their individual communication and cooperation skills. The knowledge gained will enable them to play an active part in the sustained digital transformation of the Kuraray Group in the future.
The first step was to gain an overview of all areas of the company. Several digital maturity assessments examined questions such as: How digital are we? Where is digitalization still in its infancy? What do we need to take the next steps? It soon became clear that in parallel with technological development we need to invest in training employees to make sure they are fit for the future.
Together with the Industrie 4.0 Maturity Center at RWTH Aachen, the Kuraray Group therefore developed the DX Talent Development Programme as part of its digital transformation strategy.
The participants in the first gold course are equally positive. Elnaz Tagik from the Kuraray Group’s Mowital business describes the course as a very enriching experience:
“The mixture of theory and practice and the intense interaction with a global team were especially valuable for me.”
Alexander Sawade from Procurement highlights the variety of the content:
“We covered all areas of the digital transformation and were given many ideas and helpful hints on implementing digital projects.”
This positive feedback is a boost for the continuation of the programme. The second series of silver and gold courses started in February and the third begins in September. In parallel with this, there are plans to set up a DX Gold Network and a dashboard for DX talent development. That will strengthen the sustained effect of this programme, which is a completely new format for Kuraray.
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