Industry 4.0, digital revolution, smart factories, global interconnection – these are the keywords describing the present developments of the labour world. Vocational training can become “the first choice” to live this transformation, but at present only a few training centres in Europe can exploit necessary equipment and, even more important, teachers and trainers are not aware of the dimension of such changes, or can exploit the required tools (conceptual and methodological first, rather than technological). Some of them tend to copy-and-paste the same (sometimes old fashioned) methods to new topics; some of them are not fully aware of existing online tools for learning, teaching, assessing; some of them do not interact with each other as much as they could, thinking they have knowhow to “defend”; some of them need a clearer picture of the nature, implications and real meaning of the 4.0 paradigm, which is not only “Industry” 4.0 and technology. In order to make vocational education and training (VET) sustainable, it is relevant updating its times and tools, favouring collaboration among teachers/trainers, learners, training providers, companies, social parts, local authorities.
Fit for 4.0 intends to take this challenge, by describing a set of competences useful to VET teachers, and by developing and testing a set of training modules fit for “4.0”, in strict cooperation with companies.
Main expected results are:
- more skilled VET teachers and trainers;
- improved quality of learning, hence better employability of students and attractiveness of VET;
- increased and stable cooperation between training providers, teachers/trainers and enterprises;
- availability of sustainable tools, transferable to other economic sectors and other European countries.
Fit for 4.0 is performed by a strong consortium of 10 partners in 8 EU Member States: Italy (IFOA/POLIMI), Austria (BFI-OOE), Belgium (AP Hogeschool/EfVET), Denmark (ZBC), Finland (JAMK), Portugal (EDUGEP), Sweden (GTC), the United Kingdom (NWRC), representing a competent and skilled mix of excellent European VET players, in the spirit of providing for a true “strategic partnership”.