POSTED: 11 Mar, 2024

Massive congratulations to our PhD researcher, Akash Brinly Hettiarachchi who completed his confirmation seminar last week on Wednesday, 6 March!

 

His thesis is entitled: Cobots intervention for a diverse Australian manufacturing workforce. His supervisory team include A/Prof Penny Williams, QUT and Professor Greg Hearn, QUT and the review panel included A/Prof Erika French and A/Prof Jared Donovan.

His project addresses the existing labour shortage and facilitate sustainable growth in the manufacturing sector, it is imperative to explore potential solutions for attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. This research seeks to synergise technological solutions (Cobots) with HR strategies (workforce diversity) to address the prevalent challenge of talent scarcity within the manufacturing sector.

It will investigate avenues for incorporating human and social factors into the design of Cobots and assess how this integration can help overcome potential barriers to entry and retention for a diverse manufacturing workforce. The study will adopt a qualitative research methodology, encompassing three key stages: descriptive analysis, focus group discussions, and case study analysis.