The project “Vocational Education and Training in the Working World 4.0” wants to promote work-based learning in the sectors electronics and mechatronics with special regard to the existing and future challenges of working world 4.0. in the European vocational education and training. The project wants to provide and improve the open and innovative education in the field of working world 4.0., embedded in the digital era.Industry 4.0, digital revolution, intelligent production and service – these are keywords for the actual development in the working world. In order to maintain a competitive and innovative economy, it is important that already during the vocational education and training (VET) the basis is provided to face the recent development in “working world 4.0” properly. Professional tasks and required competences will change Europe-wide and will have to be revised and adapted but still there is little concrete information how to handle this challenge. In various discussions and literature review we found out that there is a huge need from different kinds of companies and VET institutions in the results of the project all over Europe.The project aims at identifying the future qualification requirements on a broad European basis and to exemplarily develop modules for the further education of teachers, trainers and VET students in order to enable them for future-oriented teaching and learning. In the framework of a project like this, this can only be achieved by a sectoral restriction and by examples which are to be transferred to other sectors. The focus will be on mechatronics and electronics by integrating IT, because IT competences are increasingly necessary for all. In these sectors the digital revolution started already and first experience of companies is available. The modules aim at improving cross-section competences like successful communication in a cross-linked working world , adequate use of IT skills, adaptive thinking, which will be important for the whole future working world.A various European consortium with nine partners from Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, The Netherlands, Poland, Italy and Spain will develop the modules in cooperation with VET teachers, in-company trainers and experts from industry. They shall be practical, need orientated and based on innovative methods, e.g. e-learning, cooperating in multi-national groups. Some partners are from VET colleges (FI, SE, NL, ES, DE), one is a university institution for VET development and responsible for an initial analysis (LT), one is a chamber (PL) and two are VET providers in Italy with high interest to foster work- and future-oriented learning in their country. Different views and experience from different countries and backgrounds shall be exploited in order to achieve sustainable results which are useful in all European countries. These results are supposed to be first concrete learning modules which serve to face the challenges of the future working and learning world and which help to acquire the new competences required. They will be available on an open learning platform and thus can be further developed. The initial analysis of competences required in future will be a basis to develop further learning modules in future, besides the ones of the project. The results are supposed to be broadly disseminated, to be improved and enlarged and to build a basis and be a model for revision and adaptation of curricula with regard to the needs of future VET in a completely digitalized world.The project is planned as a participative cooperation among the partners and has the claim to develop vitally needed results, instruments and tools that are sustainable. They are supposed to be integrated in national VET education and training and are appropriate to be transferred in other sectors and other European countries by widening the established network.
The project was developed on the background of the increasing digitalization in all areas of life and the lack of skilled workers, for example in the fields of electronics and mechatronics. The development known as Industry 4.0 in Germany requires new qualifications for skilled workers, trainers and apprentices as well as vocational school teachers. Currently, there are large differences within and between different sectors as well as between different countries and regions in terms of adapting to the requirements designated as "4.0" in the project. The project aimed to analyse and better understand the expected needs and to develop exemplary learning modules for future professionals and their teachers and trainers in order to respond to the development at an early stage. This was successful, but during the project it also became apparent how dynamic and unequal this process is. Specifically, the project had three objectives: 1. An analysis of which competence requirements in the fields of electronics and mechatronics will change among the skilled workers and training personnel. 2. The development of exemplary learning modules for trainees, which give an initial access to the future working world 4.0 and which can be implemented with relatively little resources and are suitable for all participating countries. 3. Building on this, the development of learning modules for teaching staff in order to sensitize them to the challenges of digitalization and enable them to teach in a project-oriented and forward-looking manner and to guide their students in their learning. A total of nine partner institutions from eight countries (DE, ES, FI, IT, LT, NL, PL, SE) participated in the project. In addition, four vocational colleges from the Cologne Region were involved in the development of the modules. The majority of the partners were vocational schools; the responsibility for the preparatory study lay with Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Polish partner was a private chamber, which is in contact with companies as well as schools in the Wroclaw region. The two Italian partners are regional, private vocational training and mobility providers with a high level of interest in the topic. Further details can be found on the project's website at http://vet-4-0.eu/Expertise.html . The main activities carried out are closely related to the three main objectives: On the basis of the current literature on the changes in the "working world 4.0" in the fields of electronics and mechatronics, an empirical case study was carried out in which a total of 42 company representatives from the partner countries were interviewed about future competence requirements. In addition, 13 teachers from these areas were interviewed. The results of the study are summarized in a report. In order to make the results clear and manageable for further work, they were condensed and presented clearly in a competence matrix 4.0 for trainees and a one for teaching staff. On this basis, learning modules were developed that focus on different aspects in an exemplary way: Smart and Keen Company aims at the possibility of prototyping and manufacturing components with 3D printers and the networking of different actors in a production process. IoT - Plant Irrigation deals with the networking of people and things and their control via automated feedback loops. Intelligent House 4.0 - Smart Light Control focuses on the craft sector and thus on SMEs and gives VET students in handcrafts in the field of electronics their first opportunities to adapt to the requirements for the installation of Smart Home components. Digital Factory for Individualized Mass Products is concerned with digitized production chains that can produce products precisely tailored to individual customer requirements using the one-lot process. IoT - The Intelligent LED Sign deals with how simple microcontroller hardware can be planned, programmed and used and, if necessary, controlled with a mobile phone. All in all, the modules cover a wide range of 4.0 requirements, which can be adapted to the needs of VET colleges. The third focal point was the development of suitable modules for the teaching staff, some of whom first have to be made aware of the topic for which the General Module is intended. The teaching staff should also be enabled to use the modules efficiently for their students, to adapt them to the specific needs of different target groups and to further develop them. They are closely related to the student modules.