How to recruit and be recruited in the 3D printing sector: Experts give their advice!

The supply and demand for jobs in the additive manufacturing sector is growing rapidly and both companies and candidates must prepare for the changes underway. According to the 2018 The Future of Jobs report, new jobs related to Industry 4.0 and additive manufacturing have increased by 16%, a figure that is expected to rise to 27% by 2022. Additionally, the technology is becoming a production-ready process for industrial applications, which naturally brings changes to the types of profiles sought after by companies. To prepare for these changes, we asked three experts in additive manufacturing their thoughts on how to recruit and be recruited in the 3D printing sector. What are the key challenges of recruitment in the AM industry?

Our first expert is Phillip Hodson, Managing Director at Kensington Additive, a branch of Kensington Consulting Ltd. The UK-based company moved to additive manufacturing 5 years ago and has been lucky to partner with some big names in the industry. Our second expert is Eduardo Alonso, General Manager at EOS, one of the leading manufacturers of industrial solutions for the industry. Last but not least, we spoke to Nick Pearce, the CEO and Co-Founder of i-AMdigital, a career platform for the 3D printing market.

What are the most sought-after profiles in the 3D printing industry?

In the study we carried out this year on the evolution of the 3D printing job market, we found that job positions were very varied. Interestingly, in more than 70% of cases, these were long-term positions, which showcase the shift towards a long-term adoption of the technology. Nevertheless, given the nature of this industry, more technical competence is often a must across roles. Nick Pearce explains: “3D printing is evolving from a tool used predominantly for rapid prototyping to a production technology that can support wider digital manufacturing objectives. As the technology matures the skills required by organisations adopting the technology become more complex.” If we break it down into three highly-demanded skills there is high level materials science, in particular polymer chemistry and powder metallurgy, design for additive manufacturing, and finally quality engineering. Nick adds, “When industries like aerospace and medical start to use AM for end use part production, quality assurance is critical. The 3D printer manufacturers need to ensure their machines can deliver consistently high quality parts on a repeatable basis and need to qualify their machines for tough industry standards.”