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Artificial intelligence (AI), is evolving at pace, providing engineering organisations with plenty of opportunity to grow their businesses whilst welcoming new smart thinking candidates – as NRL’s Egremont Director Rebecca Graves discussed with In-Cumbria business magazine.
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), people are usually in two camps – they see the benefits it can bring to drive efficiency and productivity, or think such advanced tech is a negative development that will take away jobs.
Technical and engineering recruitment specialists NRL, believe AI can help candidates stand out – opening up opportunities for those candidates who embrace it to elevate their careers. AI technologies are increasingly being deployed to streamline engineering operations, predict maintenance needs, and foster product development, thereby enhancing overall efficiency.
AI systems can now analyse vast datasets, learning from patterns and predicting outcomes with greater accuracy than ever before, resulting in significant cost savings and extending the lifecycle of critical machinery. Use of AI can help accelerate the design process through rapid prototyping and simulations, using sophisticated algorithms in virtual environments at a significantly reduced cost to physical testing.
NRL believe it’s these AI characteristics that businesses and candidates can nurture to help them evolve, as Egremont-based director Rebecca Graves explains.
“Incorporating AI into engineering practices is not just about keeping pace, it’s about setting the pace. These AI driven efficiencies can not only increase productivity, but also allow engineers to redirect their focus towards driving innovation.
“For candidates, applied knowledge of AI and machine learning can help them to stand out in the recruitment space, and demonstrate to businesses that they have a strategic approach to how they work. The key to using AI however, is having a clear understanding on when it is appropriate – understanding it’s limitations and ensuring there is an overarching commitment to use it ethically.
“As businesses look at how they can grow their engineering operations in the coming years, we’re seeing a focus on AI that is driven by a desire to work more efficiently and smarter, not identifying it as a solution to reduce headcount.”
In the recruitment world, AI is also beginning to grab people’s attention. It can be utilised to scan applications at speed and automatically draw up a shortlist of candidates, but as Rebecca notes it’s use within the sector needs to take the same approach as engineering.
“For recruiters to deliver true value to their clients, it takes a personal approach. That’s why we read through every application and don’t rely on technology such as AI. This helps us to understand the experience of each candidate, which may suit the role they’re applying for or another one in the future. Technology has its place to help make processes more streamlined and efficient, but it won’t replace the people side of recruitment.”
Looking for recruitment support, then get in touch with Rebecca on rgraves@nrl.co.uk
You can read the full May issue of In-Cumbria business magazine online.