CRANE 4.0 takes inspiration from the Analytical Report Improving the human capital basis issued by the European Construction Sector Observatory of the European Commission (ECSO, 2017) which urges to up-skill and re-skill the European construction labour force with new skills to meet the demand of the labour market for new digital competences. Only 45% of the workers in the sector has been involved in training at the workplace and the highly skilled workforce is only a small fraction of the total workforce of the EU construction sector. Applying Virtual Reality (VR) in VET and in on-the-job situations involving complex tasks facilitates the visualisation of the activities to be performed, even the riskiest ones, and the transmission of knowledge-intensive skills leading to an increased training quality. The project focuses on crane operations exactly because they have a major influence on construction sites, especially in terms of efficiency and safety. With the growing usage of cranes, the number of crane-related accidents has grown enormously, and the participating countries are among the EU members with the highest fatal accident rates in the construction sector. The project aims to improve work-based and initial/continuous learning of crane operators to adapt their skills to the Industry 4.0 skills requirements. Europe is currently undergoing the 4th industrial revolution which influences manufacturing and productivity with increased flexibility, mass customisation and increased speed. Investing in new technologies, research and development can revitalise the competitiveness of the construction sector companies. CRANE 4.0 will do so through the development of a Virtual Reality (VR) application downloadable from partners' websites, from the project website and from the main platforms for mobile applications download. The innovative use of VR in the training of crane operators is an added value for all those public and private VET providers who want to offer upskilling pathways to their educators and training. CRANE 4.0 will, in fact, develop not only the VR app but also a set of tools and materials that will support the usability and transferability of the main outputs. CRANE 4.0 will develop three main outputs that will produce: IO1: Curriculum Handbook - 1 Transnational job analysis and report, Course Plan and Didactic Manual for Crane Operations 4.0 IO2: CRANE 4.0 Virtual Reality Application Development: VR app, Users' Technical Guide, Manual assessing the quality of the VR app and learning outcomes, IO3: Blended pilot testing: 55 crane operators trained and a Procedural Manual for the implementation of the VR-Labs. All the outputs' products will be open and accessible for free from the project website and the partners' websites. The partners' trainers will also participate in the train-the-trainers session in Romania (C1), this will enable participants to implement the pilot testing of IO3. CRANE 4.0 thus develops an innovative training and methods for teaching, learning and assessing the learning outcomes of Crane operators 4.0, through the use of Virtual Reality thus supporting the educators and learners in using digital technologies in creative, collaborative and efficient ways. The free accessible Guides and Manual will facilitate the take-up of the products of the project by external organisations. The use of VR in the crane operations training is an innovative solution to solve the challenges of the construction sector low levels of highly specialized workers and counteract the high levels of fatal accidents at the workplace. The project will also support new teaching methods and the personal development of VET trainers and teachers. The project direct beneficiaries are crane operators and VET professionals working in a variety of contexts (Public Employment Services, Job Counselling, VET organisations, Careers Counselling, Placement officers, in-house trainers) who are willing to be trained on the use of VR for the delivery of a training course and construction sector stakeholders (trade unions, chambers of commerce and companies). The specific objectives are: - Improve the adaptability of crane operators to the labour market and increase their skills for the Industry 4.0. - Develop an innovative training course with the use of VR to boost the employability of crane operators in the Industry 4.0 and the professional development of VET teachers with the use of effective digital, open and innovative education and pedagogies, as well as practical tools. - Facilitate the delivery of training that would be otherwise too expensive or risky through the adoption of a VR. - Increase the competitiveness and adaptability of the organisations who will adopt the training to face the industrial changes requirements.
OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the CRANE 4.0 project was to improve work-based and initial and continuous learning of crane operators to adapt their skills to the Industry 4.0. To achieve this goal, virtual reality was introduced in the initial and continuous training of crane operators. To this end, a virtual reality application (VR) was developed and is downloadable from the project website and from the main platforms for mobile applications download. The specific objectives of the CRANE 4.0 Project were: - Improve the adaptability of crane operators to the labour market and increase their skills for the Industry 4.0. - Develop an innovative training course with the use of VR to boost the employability of crane operators in the Industry 4.0 and the professional development of VET teachers with the use of effective digital, open and innovative education and pedagogies, as well as practical tools. - Facilitate the delivery of training that would be otherwise too expensive or risky through the adoption of a VR. - Increase the competitiveness and adaptability of the organisations that will adopt the training to face the requirements of the industrial change.
CRANE 4.0 aims to up-skill and re-skill the European construction labour force with new skills in order to meet the demand of the labour market for new digital competences. Applying Virtual Reality (VR) in vocational training and in on-the-job situations involving complex tasks facilitates the visualisation of the activities to be performed, even the riskiest ones, and the transmission of knowledge-intensive skills leading to increased training quality. The gap between conventional teaching methods and the everyday work life of trainees, which is shaped by information technologies, is growing and vocational training needs to cope with the pace of digital advancements. The project decided to focus on crane operations because they have a major influence on construction sites, especially in terms of efficiency and safety. With the growing usage of cranes, the number of crane-related accidents has grown enormously: overturning of cranes, falling of loads and contact with power lines. CRANE 4.0 develops innovative training paths and methods for teaching, learning and assessing the learning outcomes, through the use of VR thus supporting educators and learners in using digital technologies in creative, collaborative and efficient ways.