Expected Results

The digital transformation will change the way companies do business and consequently the skills-set they expect from their workforce.

Companies must be able to embrace change brought by the digital revolution by addressing the skills demand and adapting their working models. Employees must constantly increase their knowledge base, skills and competences throughout their life.

In order to make sure that both industry and its workforce are ready to take advantage of the digital transformation, new and innovative training models must be established.

The project will follow the basic standard to recognise the integration of ECVET throughout the project material development, which will be evaluated and levelled in accordance with ECVET procedures in partner organisations countries. This will provide levelling at around EQF level 4 which is NC (National Certificate) level qualifications.

Such leveling will lead to learners getting the credit they deserve at EU level as the project progresses over the two year lifespan. The project will also provide project practitioners the opportunity to incorporate ECVET principals into the design of the learning materials by training staff in the methods of ECVET delivery and levelling skills.

Overall, Intellectual Output 1 aims to;

• introduce the theme of 4.0 industries to industrial SME managers and entrepreneurs
• evaluate the level of uptake of e-leadership competences among industrial managers
• analyse main skill shortages as for what regards the uptake of ICT in traditional industrial workforce
• define a set of necessary skills (ICT and digital as well as e-competences) that the current workforce of the industrial sector needs to acquire to be updated and valuable in the future.
• recognise the integration of ECVET throughout the project material development.

IO1 will unroll in four activities that will successively be implemented in the project lifespan.

Activity 1 will include the conduction of a Training Needs Analysis on the state of the art in 4.0 Industries and the policies related to the integration of ICT, digital, e-leadership skills, and competences in traditional industrial sectors and in VET programmes.

Activity 2 foresees the organization of 5 Roundtables in each partner country. The Roundtables will aim to discuss the theme of 4.0 industries directly with the most interested stakeholders: entrepreneurs and industrial managers. SMEs can be pivotal actors in this field as they possess the necessary flexibility to introduce changes in a small amount of time.

Then, based on the first two activities, Activity 3 will work on the elaboration of a set of the ICT, e-leadership and digital skills and competences required in traditional industrial sectors to evolve in 4.0 industries, as well as a list of requirements, competences, standards, essential for industrial workers to be valuable actors of the so-called 4th industrial revolution.

Lastly, Activity 4 will work towards an ECVET path and didactic model. The training material will be evaluated and levelled in accordance with ECVET procedures in partner organisations countries. The project will also provide project staff the opportunity to incorporate ECVET principals into the design of the learning materials.

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This Intellectual Output is a training toolbox aimed at developing digital skills and e-competences in trainees / industrial workers. This Output will be tailored on the needs of the workforce both in the public and the private industrial sector with a particular emphasis on SMEs. It will ensure that workers can update their e-Skills and ICT skills, according to the priorities described in the Digital Agenda for Europe. Our training toolbox will in fact contribute to expand VET ICT learning programmes.

Overall, Intellectual Output 2 aims to;

• enhancing training programs for VET, through methodologies and non-formal education and learning contexts;
• updating and re-qualifying workers of the industrial sector, focusing on the uptake of digital skills and e-Competences;
• acquisition of e-leadership skills in order to make companies in the territory more competitive and innovative thanks to the widespread presence of e-leaders.

IO2 will be implemented as follows;

Activity 1 will be based on the Training Needs Report and Skills-set for 4.0 industries elaborated in O1. The partnership will develop a training toolbox that will respond to the participants’ need of acquiring ICT, digital and e-leadership skills applicable in the industrial sector. Based on a set of pre-determined criteria established in the programme outline, each partner will then customize the common training toolbox in their own language in order to better fit the needs of their national target.

Activity 2 will include an elaboration of a set of selection criteria and of a strategic plan to promote the training model and to reach our target – managers and workers of the industrial sector (mechanical, manufacturing, waste management) – that is not easily reached through ordinary dissemination. Activity 2 will include a selection of minimum 75 participants throughout EU.
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In Activity 3, the training toolbox will be tested in 5 countries (Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Malta) through a modular training course for industrial workers. Possible topics of the course may include; i) Introduction to 4.0 Industries, ii) Production planning and scheduling, iii) Manufacturing Execution System (MES), iv) Internet of Things, v) Added value of the 4.0 service etc.

Lastly, Activity 4 foresees the monitoring and evaluation of the training toolbox, utilizing tools to collect quantitative and qualitative data, organisation of focus groups to recollect the feedback, implementation of a SWOT analysis to identify the positive and negative aspects of the “Digital Skills for Industry 4.0” Test and creation of a “Digital Skills for Industry 4.0” Test Evaluation Report.

The last part of the activity will be to finetune based on the feedback collected from all stakeholders during the focus groups. The purpose of the fine tuning is to produce a coherent new “Digital Skills for Industry 4.0” Training toolbox that embeds the best practices identified through these activities.

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