Evaluating critical institutional factors of Industry 4.0 for education reform

Abstract

Reimaging education and building human capacity considering Industry 4.0 is critical for educational institutions in view of the pervasive nature of technological disruption induced by the fourth industrial revolution. Education in the Industry 4.0 age is critical due to the reskilling and upskilling needs of current and future workforces triggered by self-propagating technologies of the fourth industrial revolution. Accordingly, national-level education reform is imperative for proactively responding to Industry 4.0 and strategic foresight approaches like the Delphi methodology offer a viable and valuable tool for education policy and planning. Using Delphi, this study identifies, selects, and prioritises critical institutional enablers and barriers of Industry 4.0 for education from the viewpoint of experts within the triple helix, i.e., university, industry, and government experts. The study finds that the top institutional enabler and barrier are dedicated national strategies for Industry 4.0 education and mind-sets that oppose Industry 4.0 education reform, respectively. Insights from the Delphi exercise aid in the proposal of a national roadmap for education reform. The article also discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of the study for framing education changes and planning technological transitions of education systems and concludes by identifying research limitations and potential future research areas.