The 4thindustrial revolution – its impact on vocational skills

Within the context of ‘Industry 4.0’, work organisation and work processes will change, along with ongoing automation and real-time oriented control of production. The same is true for work contents and the interaction and communication between humans and technology, which entail many consequences for users and providers throughout the entire vocational training system.There are many definitions of ‘Industry 4.0’. A comprehensive one is that ‘Industry 4.0’ is the current trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies which are based on digital technology. It includes ‘Cyber-Physical Systems’ (CPS), the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing, and has an impact on all economic sectors.One of the highly relevant questions concerns the qualification requirements for employees on the ‘shop-floor’ and at the middle employment level. Depending on the implementation level of Industry 4.0 in companies, vocational education and training for the workforce is highly relevant and the vocational education system has to respond to the needs and expectations of these changes in the work world. Successful responses of the vocational system to the demands of Industry 4.0 have to focus on curriculum development and training of both skilled and highly skilled workers.