The CAREERS 4.0 project aimed to respond to the challenges created by Industry 4.0 and its disruptive impact on jobs, skills requirements and career pathways. Its main objective was to strengthen the field of career guidance in the context of digitalisation by upskilling education, training, employment and career guidance professionals, enabling them to better support young people facing labour market uncertainty and change. The project aimed to increase the responsiveness of VET and career guidance systems to evolving labour market needs by developing modern, future-oriented career guidance tools and updated labour market information reflecting emerging occupations, new forms of work and changing skill demands. A further objective was to support young people (aged 16–29) in developing career adaptability, informed decision-making and skills that are difficult to automate. To achieve this, CAREERS 4.0 aimed to develop an integrated Assistive Digital Career and LMI Toolkit, including a Career Competencies 4.0 Framework, psychometric skills assessment tools, innovative career information resources and a Career Guidance 4.0 training programme for practitioners.
The accelerating digitization and automation of work, known as the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) have an enormous impact on individuals’ career experiences, fundamentally transforming jobs, labour markets, and career guidance practices. These challenges represent one of the most important issues to shape the future nature of career choices, career development, guidance and career counselling. In this context, CAREERS 4.0 project is an opportunity to increase the responsiveness and flexibility of VET systems being adaptable to labour market needs, to emphasize the role of service providers and professionals working in the field of education, training, employment, guidance and career counselling, and their need for upskilling so they can prepare individuals with the appropriate set of career competencies to enable effective career transitions against transformative employment. CAREERS 4.0 project responded to the critical needs identified by the partnership for moderns and integrated Assistive Digital Career and LMI Toolkit that support the upskilling of relevant VET, career inclusion professionals and enables the provision of appropriate and future oriented LMI and career navigation services for youngsters.