Induce 4.0 – Work-based training approach in the field of Industry 4.0 for competitive European Industry

Project summary:

The digital transition alters requirements for employees across all steps of the value chain– from development on through production to sales and brings the need of completely new skills in employees. According to the New Skills Agenda for Europe “Work  in  industry  at  all  levels  from  operators  to  engineers  and  administrative staff  will  increasingly consist of designing, maintaining and supervising intelligent machines that assist in the performance of tasks. This will require different skill sets. Future jobs will require an appropriate mix of basic, soft and technical skills, notably the digital and business-specific skills that education and training systems are not yet fully addressing. Industry has an active role to play in the definition and training of the key skill sets and competences.”(COM(2016) 381final)

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

INDUCE 4.0 is aimed at establishing sustainable VET business partnerships aimed at promoting work-based learning on the topic of Industry 4.0, with special attention to apprenticeship training, by involving social partners, companies and VET providers.

The specific objectives of the project are:

• creating flexible learning package for work-based learning aimed at providing fundamental technical knowledge on the topic of Industry 4.0
• creating thorough methodology for WBL current and future (VET students/ apprentices) SME employees on the topic of Industry 4.0 and thus boosting SMEs’ capacity for transition by nurturing the necessary skills for the “factory of the future”

INDUCE 4.0 addresses the needs of the following target groups:

• Managers of manufacturing SMEs
• Heads of departments (production, logistics, etc.) in manufacturing SMEs
• Future employees of manufacturing SMEs (vocational students/apprentices), graduates from technical specialties
• VET providers/trainers/consultants

In the lifetime of the project, the following intellectual outputs will be developed:

• O1. State-of-the-art analysis on the knowledge & skills gaps on the topic of Industry 4.0 and the requirements on WBL
• O2. INDUCE 4.0 training course
• O3. INDUCE 4.0 Practical methodology for WBL

The overall long-term impact sought by the project is to contribute to diminishing the skills & knowledge gaps between skills provided by VET and the ones sought by employers in the manufacturing sector for the factory of the future, through the creation of sustainable VET-business cooperation.

Project partners:

• Petru Maior University – Romania
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Mures County – Romania
• Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements – Poland
• Institute for Technology and Quality  – Portugal
• European Association of Institutes for Vocational Training – Germany
• European Center for Quality Ltd.– Bulgaria
• PCX Computers & Information Systems Ltd. – Cyprus