SKILL-SET

The incorporation of digital technologies is leading to a paradigm shift in industry, known as Industry 4.0 or 4th Industrial Revolution.

Industry 4.0 is surrounded by technologies and new areas of knowledge such as additive manufacturing, augmented reality, simulation or big data.

But it also refers to new business models based on the digital, a new business culture that incorporates new values such as collaboration between areas and departments, the formation of multi-functional teams, the experimental approach. In short, a new organization of the workplace.

The digital ecosystem and its full introduction in the factory, is already affecting workers and managers, who have to equip with new skills that accompany their experience and technical knowledge.

The ability to adapt to technological change and to introduce new processes and business models according to a digital world is a key component for the future of the European industrial sector.

New capabilities like data science, digital innovation management, predictive maintenance and, generally, the so-called new digital skills will sooner or later be integrated into production processes and the value chain of all industries. There is hardly any doubt that the industry’s business models are going to change radically, and to do so, they must adapt their capabilities to the digital world.

One of the biggest challenges for industries is people, not technology , . Success with 4.0 strategies depends, to a large extent, on skills and knowledge. In other words, talent and people, so any strategy must focus not only on technology but also on people. Also, to approach a process of cultural transformation in the organization and management.

When dealing with operational management, many industrial companies confirm that their workers have little training and knowledge to cope with the necessary changes. In particular, they highlights the lack of digital qualifications.

But there is also a broad consensus that 4.0 affects not only technical or digital skills, it fully affects the personal skills of industry workers and managers.

Moreover, internal operational silos are no working anymore. Industry 4.0 requires, at the same time, integration between technical operations, IT and business. There is a shift to collaborative models, both internally and externally: workforce, providers, customers and users, and other stakeholders

In short, in order for companies to capture value from the benefits and promises of industry 4.0, they need to build up new internal capabilities and create cross-functional teams to manage innovation and change.

The RESTART team has designed a skill-set which proposes a selection of the skills and professional competencies essential to perform, work, produce and lead digital industries and ecosystems.

Professional competences in 4.0 are a blended mix of personal, digital and specific skills accompanied with a sort of complementary knowledge and skills for doing business and create value in a digital economy.