The research project commenced with a first partnership agreement with the Ministry of Economic Development aimed at understanding and analysing the didactic offer of Higher Technical Institutes with respect to the priorities indicated by the Enterprise 4.0 plan. The changes taking place in the occupational scene highlighted the need for a participatory case study to identify the 4.0 Enabling Technologies (ETs) used, the instruments in use, and the level of integration between the different ETs. The research project will also identify, starting by describing the training/learning practices and the skills developed by students (basic skills, technical skills, soft skills), the skills teachers need to teach 4.0 ETs (cybersecurity, IoT, etc.).

Objectives

• To identify how 4.0 ETs are modifying didactic and laboratory activities for technical and soft skills, and how they guide didactic, organisational and cultural models and training policies for work;
• To analyse and understand the prospects for the development of teaching professionalism in the context of 4.0 training.

Research questions

• How does the development of new 4.0 ETs in Higher Technical Institute training programmes impact the Higher Technical Institute model?
• With reference to the different technological areas and specific regions, which ETs characterise the Higher Technical Institute training model and how?
• Does using ETs and digital environments to gain experience in distributed learning contexts, in synthetic, hybrid and connective learning environments, help students develop skills?

Participants

Target of the beneficiaries of the interventions:

Direct

• Higher Technical Institute Foundations.
• Ministry of Economic Development.
• Ministry of Education.

Indirect

• Upper secondary schools.