We draw on experiences from our own technology interventions and detailed ethnographic work conducted within the Horizon-funded Up-Skill project, and we also draw directly on insights from firms themselves, related projects, policymakers, academic experts, and union representatives in order to identify the drivers of, and barriers to, positive change.

While uptake of Industry 5.0 principles is slowly beginning to occur, it is still far from constituting a transformation or paradigm shift. Focusing on human-centricity, we explore how the process of change might be accelerated, and what we might learn from both social theory and practical experience to support this transition.