“Step into any maintenance department and you’ll see both”, Stoker says. “Younger professionals (the digital natives) navigate dashboards and AR interfaces with ease, while their more experienced colleagues (the digital immigrants) recognize subtle signs in equipment behaviour that no algorithm can yet interpret. The challenge is not to replace one with the other, but to combine them. That mix is our strength.”

This intergenerational blend, Stoker emphasizes, is fundamental to building resilience in Industry 5.0. As he explains in his recent insights on generational dynamics, Digital Natives—Millennials and Gen Z who grew up with data, smart technologies, and AI collaboration—bring agility and digital fluency to maintenance operations. Meanwhile, Digital Immigrants—Baby Boomers and Generation X who witnessed the evolution from CMMS to risk-based maintenance and ISO 55000 implementation—contribute deep judgment, tacit knowledge, and process mastery.

"These two digital cultures view Asset & Maintenance Management through very different lenses," Stoker notes. "Where Digital Immigrants value structured processes, standards, and deep experience, Digital Natives emphasize agility, connectivity, and continuous innovation. Both perspectives are valid—but too often, they operate in parallel rather than in synergy."

The key, according to Stoker, lies in creating frameworks that connect these generational approaches. His Asset & Maintenance Management Lemniscate and SSAMM Maintenance Landscape Model provide what he calls "a shared language, rooted in standards, where both experience and innovation can thrive."

"It's not about speed alone," he adds. "It's about combining perspectives to ensure long-term value. In Industry 5.0, where human-centric, resilient, sustainable, and intelligent systems converge, bridging these digital mindsets isn't optional—it's essential."

New roles are emerging as well. One is the “information steward,” who guarantees the accuracy and accessibility of operational data. The other is the “AI model trainer,” who ensures that intelligent systems align with international frameworks such as ISO 55000:2024 and CEN/TC 319. “When these two roles work in harmony, AI stops being a mysterious black box and becomes a trustworthy partner,” Stoker explains. “That’s when digitalisation truly serves the human, not the other way around.”

Education becomes the bridge to this future. Training programmes must remain rooted in Reliability-Centred Maintenance, FMEA, and condition-based maintenance, yet be modular and adaptive enough to integrate new technologies in the Maintenance 5.0.

“Immersive learning is essential,” he notes. “Federated twins and VR simulations allow people to practise real-world complexity without real-world risk.” Stoker also predicts that scenario-based “disruption drills” will become more common, preparing professionals to adapt when supply chains break down or extreme weather interrupts operations.

International certification is another corner stone. EFNMS qualifications such as the European Maintenance Manager (EMM) and European Maintenance Technician (EMT) provide Europe-wide recognition, while WPiAM’s CAMA and Global Certification Scheme ensure global mobility. “Certification gives us a shared language of competence,” he says. “It allows professionals to move across borders with credibility and organisations to know exactly what skills they are hiring.”

But competence alone is not enough. Diversity is equally critical. “We cannot afford to leave talent untapped,” Stoker argues.

Gender balance widens the pool, but neurodiversity brings unique capabilities. He points out that “many neurodiverse professionals excel at pattern recognition, lateral thinking, and creative problem-solving. These are exactly the skills needed for Industry 5.0, where challenges are complex and non-linear.”

Some countries are already leading the way. Finland integrates human-centric digitalisation and neurodiverse inclusion into its education system. Germany has modernised its dual apprenticeship model to include AI and sustainability. The Netherlands embeds ISO and EN standards directly into higher education, while Sweden actively recruits underrepresented groups into engineering programmes. “These are best practices Europe should share more widely,” Stoker notes. “Cross-border collaboration ensures no country is left behind.”

Looking ahead, Stoker envisions 2035 as a milestone. By then, he believes maintenance education will have matured into a stable yet agile learning ecosystem. “Its stability will come from timeless standards and proven methodologies,” he says. “Its agility will come from modular design that adapts as technology changes. Professionals will follow two clear but complementary paths—information stewards and AI model trainers—working in deliberately mixed teams of digital natives, digital immigrants, and neurodiverse thinkers.”

And above all, education will no longer be seen as a phase of professional life, but as an ongoing ecosystem shaping industrial culture itself. “By 2035, education won’t just prepare people for jobs,” Stoker concludes. “It will shape a culture where technical excellence, sustainability, resilience, and human-centric values are inseparable.”

Text: Mia Heiskanen   Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK

Jan Stoker 

is Strategic Advisor for Asset & Maintenance Management at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands. He is founder of SSAMM and SSAMM Academy, Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University (UK), Chair of the European Training Committee of EFNMS, and active in the EU Community of Practice on Industry 5.0. With more than 30 years’ experience, he combines practical expertise with academic teaching and is a recognised authority on ISO 55000:2024, RCM, OEE, and sustainable asset management.