To read this content please select one of the options below:

Multilevel comprehension for labor market inclusion: a qualitative study on experts' perspectives on Industry 4.0 competences

Francesco Tommasi (Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy)
Marco Perini (Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy)
Riccardo Sartori (Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy)

Education + Training

ISSN: 0040-0912

Article publication date: 16 July 2021

Issue publication date: 20 April 2022

425

Abstract

Purpose

Given the exponential and massive technological disruption in work that Industry 4.0 will lead to, nowadays, authors and practitioners within the field of education and training are witnessing increased attention on the features of and threats to employability and integration in current labor transformations. The purpose of this paper is to address current education and training challenges as related to the fourth industrial revolution by investigating which skills and competences will be crucial for the 4.0 era.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative field study with semi-structured interviews has been conducted. Qualitative data on a sample of N = 16 vocational training experts has been analyzed via the grounded theory approach for a bottom-up perspective on Industry 4.0 competences.

Findings

Data analysis revealed a partial consensus between current scientific literature and practitioners' views on skills and competences for Industry 4.0. Indeed, practioners support the need for a mix of competences comprising the broad group of disciplines of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), technical skills and transversal competences. Moreover, the perspective of practitioners supports a multilevel comprehension of the needs of Industry 4.0 for education and training. Drawing on these findings, an evaluation tool for an applied field intervention for inclusion in the labor market is proposed.

Originality/value

The paper advances current knowledge within the field of education and training by proposing a novel perspective to address market integration as a means to tackle the risk of technological disruption.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

The present study is part of a national project named “Leading capabilities” promoted by Fondimpresa, the Interprofessional Fund for Continuing Training in Italy.

Citation

Tommasi, F., Perini, M. and Sartori, R. (2022), "Multilevel comprehension for labor market inclusion: a qualitative study on experts' perspectives on Industry 4.0 competences", Education + Training, Vol. 64 No. 2, pp. 177-189. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-04-2021-0146

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles