Fosway recognizes AG5 as a Core Leader in Skills Management for Frontline Workers
Fosway is a UK analyst firm that rates HR tech vendors in Europe. In its 2026 9-Grid™ report, AG5 is a Core Leader for frontline skills.
Reviewed by Grace Roberts
This year, Fosway Group rated AG5 a Core Leader for Skills Management for Frontline Workers in its 9-Grid for Talent & People Success, and we’re proud to be part of it.
Only my favorite part of an analyst report is rarely the part about us. My favourite part is what it teaches us about the market, our customers, what we’re doing well and where we can improve.
And this report didn’t disappoint. It draws on Fosway’s Corporate Research Network of HR and learning professionals who, between them, represent more than 250 of Europe’s leading companies. So when it says something about where skills are heading, it’s worth paying attention to.
Here are 5 things from it I keep thinking about.
1. Almost everyone agrees skills matterCopied
Fosway’s numbers form a neat funnel. 87% of buyers see skills as a critical initiative for future-proofing their organization. 62% are committed to becoming skills-based. And 17% say they’re there today.
That first number is the one I’d underline and it’s clear I don’t need to convince anyone that the conversation has moved from “should we?” to “how?”
2. The hard part is making skills usableCopied
So why the drop from 62% to 17%? The report doesn’t spell it out, but here’s my view from the frontline side.
A list of who has which skills doesn’t tell you much on its own. It starts to mean something when you hold it up against what the work requires. And on a site floor, those requirements are specific: this machine, this procedure, this certificate, renewed by this date. Multiply that across sites that each do things a little differently, and it’s easy to see why so many organizations get stuck between wanting it and having it.
3. Fewer systems, same skills questionsCopied
According to Fosway, 45% of buyers feel growing pressure to consolidate their HR tech into one suite. Yet the report also notes that specialist skills providers still underpin a lot of HCM customers’ skills success.
I don’t think those two things are at odds. A simpler tech stack is a good goal. The skills questions just don’t get any simpler along with it. Someone still has to define what each role requires and keep track of who meets it.
4. Skills are being shaped by the workCopied
The report points out that the context for skills is increasingly set by the work and tasks people do.
On the frontline, that has always been true. A welder’s skills matter in relation to a specific weld, on a specific line, at a specific site. It’s also how we built AG5: skills-first, from the floor up, starting with what each task, machine and site actually requires. Start with the work, and the skills make a lot more sense.
5. Getting systems to work together is still hardCopied
Only 11% of HR teams say their HR solutions all work seamlessly together. So most teams are living with some copy-and-paste between systems.
On the frontline, that becomes a very practical problem. If your HR system, your training records and your shift schedule don’t agree on who’s qualified for Thursday’s night shift, someone ends up checking by hand before it can start.
What this means for frontline teamsCopied
If you work in manufacturing, energy, logistics or another regulated industry, this report is a useful reminder that skills strategy gets decided on the shop floor as much as in the HR plan.
That’s where AG5 focuses, helping industrial organizations manage skills and qualifications, and see who meets the requirements for specific tasks, machines, processes and sites. We’re grateful to Fosway for the recognition, and to the customers whose work got us here.
See how AG5 works or download the Fosway 9-Grid™ report.
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Written by: Rick van Echtelt
Copy edited by: Grace Roberts
