The automation business is set to thrive in the South West in the next 33 years.

Robots are taking on mundane and what-would-be dangerous roles for humans.

And our region looks like it will be one of the areas championing the automation industry.

But it's not all going to be about fast-thinking machines as there will still be a key place for those with the right skills and a capacity to be adaptable.

The Bristol Port Company, which employs 550 members of staff at Avonmouth, and has an annual turnover of 80 million, has a particularly keen eye to the future.

John Chaplin, director of external affairs at the Port said the workplace of 2050 would be a very different place.

Looking more than 30 years is challenging, he said. Further automation seems inevitable with robots increasingly being used to undertake hazardous, unattractive and repetitive roles.

He called for the Government to look at more localised specialist training at post-GCSE/A level that is better suited to the regions local needs to help to create a suitably-adaptable workforce for the future.

Financial giants Hargreaves Lansdown had a similar vision of the future workplace

Danny Cox, a spokesman for the Bristol-based firm, which employs 1,000 people in the city and has a net revenue of 326.5 million, said: In 10 years our information technology team has grown from 30 to around 180 people. There was no such thing as an app then, now we have had nearly 600,000 downloads.

Technology will continue its dominance however it is those businesses which continue to focus on their clients and their changing needs, and who invest in their own people, who will still be successful in years to come.

When asked what one thing should be done to improve the quality of skills in the workplace to boost productivity, he called on the Government to provide the framework for business to thrive.

He said: Amongst other things this means sensible regulation, and proportionate and simple taxation. Thriving businesses attract skilled people to the area and improve the skills and knowledge of their workforce.

Down the road at Myrtle Farm in Sandford, north Somerset, Martin Thatcher employs 206 people at his 72.5 million-turnover Thatchers Cider.

He said: Recent focus on apprenticeships has led to improvements in skills, but there is still much more to be done. We are concerned that schools and universities are giving are young people qualifications, but are not work-ready. So we need redirection of what our young people are taught.

We would like to see more work based training where we as employers can teach people the latest technology as well as traditional methods, but also the responsibility and behaviours expected at work.

We currently support students at Weston College through a work experience and apprenticeship programme. We are also talking to local universities on ways of working together in the future.

Martins vision for 2050 is bright.

In one respect it feels like the world around us is changing so quickly from economic, social and political perspectives that to try and predict what is happening in one years time, let alone 30, is a massive challenge, he said. Yet here at Thatchers we can be certain that we will maintain our focus on being a family business led by our fifth generation by the time 2050 comes around.

At Myrtle Farm we have a commitment to the most advanced technology that allows us to craft the highest quality, consistently great tasting cider for our customers. The workplace of the future will of course see massive changes in technology but I firmly believe that whilst technology may well replace some manual jobs, it cannot replace the individuals enthusiasm and passion that we have within our workplace.

Aerospace giant Airbus employs some 4,000 people at its Filton site. With 2016 revenue of67 billion Euros, the Toulouse-headquartered firm is a global player when it comes to workplace skills. Over the last five years alone Airbus and Airbus Defence and Space have trained 500 external apprentices and a further 300 internal apprenticeships in the UK.

A spokesperson for the firm said: Now we have an Industrial Strategy we need a comprehensive Skills Strategy to underpin it, which effectively links the supply side with the demand side. The demand side for skills will take care of itself the Governments job is to work with industry to forecast what that demand will look like and to shape the skills system to fit so that there is a good supply of the right skills this becomes even more vital in the context of Brexit LEPs have a key role to play in ensuring local demand is matched with local need, and in strategically planning for new investment in the local skills system.

More widely, productivity in the UK has been lagging behind other countries for some time. We produce in five days, per worker, what Germany produces in four. Technological change has the potential to shift that but only if workers actually have the skills needed to work with new technologies we need government to again work with industry to ensure we can give workers the skills they need to adapt and learn how to master the new technologies and digital revolution we are on the cusp of.

To enable this we also need to embed new technologies in the education and skills system i.e. ensuring all apprenticeships have a digital element, using digital technology to teach in schools rather than treating digital as a bolt-on and it means giving existing workers the ability to upskill and reskill as needed for example, by allowing employers to use their levy to fund CPD training or by creating a new training entitlement for each individual worker.

Unsurprisingly, Airbus is already ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing for the workplace of 2050.

In 2050, 60 per cent of jobs are predicted to be new jobs which dont exist today, and in sectors which dont exist today, or will have new digital processes built into them, the Airbus spokesman said.

The Government is currently conducting a review of Industrial Digitalisation to map how Industry 4.0 will change the skills mix needed in different sectors, but by 2050 will we have begun a Fifth Industrial Revolution and what will it look like?

The traditional nine-to-five may not be completely killed off by 2050 but we can expect fewer people to work in such patterns; we can expect more payment by output and employees thanks to technological advances eliminating the need to do many of todays more mundane tasks, may well find that they have more leisure time the trend for 100 years has been to reduce working hours as technological change allows for increased productivity such as Henry Ford reducing from six to five days a week in the 1920s, and Carlos Slim proposing a three day week.

She added: There will be far fewer managers management is the fastest growing area today for apprenticeships and many companies are planning to spend their levy on such training but the need for management of many workers will be wiped out as technological gains make self-management and management by app the norm and we move to more self-empowered and self-managed teams.

Large employers and large workplaces will still exist but technology will make it even easier for new entrants to markets to quickly grow; disruptive technologies will continue to challenge and dislodge established players in the market where was Uber 10 years ago? Where was Netflix? Where was Ocado? Some of todays big names will still exist in 2050 but those that are slow to adapt to new consumer demands will find themselves washed away with the tide of history.

The bolder question is will workplaces even exist at all in 2050? Will work as we know it still need to be done? We cannot predict what even 2025 will look like, such is the pace of technological change.

Another of Bristols big employers is NatWest bank which has its regional headquarters in Temple Quay.

A spokesperson for the 12.4bn turnover bank, said: The skills shortage is a common theme when we talk to customers, not just in Bristol but across the country. We are fortunate here to have the forward-thinking West of England LEP, who are working with the business community to define future needs across different sectors. They are building a road map and linking with further education colleges and universities to make sure this insight is acted upon.

For instance they have agreed 8.7 million in funding for two Weston College projects an Infrastructure Construction Skills Centre and a Health and Active Living Skills Centre. Its this sort of collaboration, planning and investment which would benefit other areas. Its great to see the West of England leading the way.

She added: The workplace of the future will be more digitally focused and more flexible and Bristol is well-placed to lead the way. The city has a very vibrant tech cluster, with ambitious and interesting companies making their home here and a strong ecosystem in place to support them.

Digital innovations are already allowing companies to improve productivity, improve customer and staff interactions, help reduce risk and mean staff can be more mobile. NatWest customers currently use digital more than any other way of interacting with the bank nearly 80 per cent of customers interact with us via digital channels.

In June NatWest launched our digital centre of excellence here in Bristol. The studio will be at the forefront of the banks investment in digital for commercial and corporate customers across the UK, designed to help them reduce their risk and save them time.

Glass Wharf, at Temple Quay in Bristol at the heart of Bristols financial services industry

Developments in digital will mean an increased capacity for businesses and workers to be flexible. We know that flexible working makes employees more productive, so this, coupled with a focus on skills, should mean a workforce which is more empowered and innovative.

Another Bristol-based bank, Triodos, which employs more than 150 people in the city, with a 13.5 billion Euro annual turnover, also has its sights set on the future for skills.

Dan Foster, resourcing manager at Triodos Bank, explained: For the last three years, we have recruited an apprentice into our office services department and on completion of their apprenticeship they have secured permanent roles with us.

We have plans to expand this further across the UK. In previous years we have had numerous internship or placement students, with some returning to us after their degree in to permanent roles.

Apprenticeship is a great way to find people that are passionate about our mission and values as a bank, who become great co-workers and are strong advocates of the work we do.

He added: I think there needs to more support for those who come from more underprivileged backgrounds into employment. We also need employment pathways for people who feel that university is not the route they wish to take in their career. For example, the Apprenticeship Levy has given businesses the opportunity to invest into future co-workers, regardless of background, and nurture the skillset required for careers to thrive and businesses to grow. This is what creates the business leaders of the future.

Dan also has a digital vision of the future: By 2050, I think that the majority of work will be conducted online. There is going to be a big shift for many organisations in terms of where their employees physically work.

This continuing rise in flexible and remote workers gives companies an opportunity to source their employees globally in order to recruit the best possible individuals. At the same time, the disbursement of workers presents major challenges in creating and maintaining a company culture in which employees thrive. The workplace of the future will be able to creatively balance these two forces.

One of the regions biggest employers historically has been Imperial Tobacco, now rebranded as Imperial Brands. The 7.2 billion-turnover company still employs 550 people in and around Bristol.

When asked what one thing should be done, either regionally or nationally by government including LEPs to improve the quality of skills in the workplace to boost productivity, a spokesman for the firm said: We would encourage governments to look towards crafting national educational programmes which develop the specific skills needed to prosper in todays workplace.

Some suggest areas for might include: building commercial awareness to assist with decision-making in business, developing interpersonal skills, including resilience at work and dealing with conflict and improving digital skills.

He also had a clear vision of a different sort of workplace in 2050.

In the short term, were likely to see much more flexible workforces, he said. As technology improves people will hold virtual meetings and increasingly work from home. Companies will have fewer permanent employees and will use specialist contractors on a regular basis sourced from expanded freelance pools. There will be an increase in the gig economy, and more people will likely have portfolio careers working with multiple employers.

He added: In the longer term, developments in AI leading to creations like driverless cars will likely change the global workforce significantly, as machines take over certain tasks traditionally performed by humans. This could have a seismic impact on the employment market moving forward.

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Automation businesses set to thrive in south west by 2050 - Bath Chronicle