Abstract
Although the new economic paradigm is based on the rapid evolution of technology, it is not clear if this evolution is only dependent on a spectacular transformation of human resources or if the evolution of human resources has imposed major changes at a technical level as well. The main focus of this paper is to identify how to cope with these new technologies as educational actors, using a diagnosis of contemporary generation characteristics. The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) imposes a rapid evolution (or revolution) of the human resources paradigm in engineering: iMillennials should adapt to that paradigm, and the paradigm should be adapted to them. The research objectives were to identify some relevant characteristics of iMillennials’ technological background and to create a map of the abilities of this generation as required by the evolution of new technologies. For a batch of students with a technical background, two psychological inventories that describe emotional intelligence and motivation acquisition were applied. Each inventory used focuses on certain features that describe motivational achievement (AMI) or emotional intelligence (EQ-I). Besides the motivational features, the AMI questionnaire also refers to socio-emotional abilities. A correlation between the parameters of the two inventories occurred. Three correlated parameters (assertiveness, reality testing, and commitment) were identified. Based on these results, a constellation map of soft skills was designed to match characteristic features of iMillennials with necessary competencies for an Industry 4.0 environment. Furthermore, this paper proposes a tool for educational actors to cope with these transformations based on the new technologies of Industry 4.0 and the characteristics of the iMillennials generation.
Highlights
Industry 4.0 and the iMillennials GenerationOver the last decade, the workplace market has changed considerably
While only 17% of iMillennials expect Industry 4.0 to replace all jobs or some jobs, this increases to 32%. For those whose organizations are extensively using Industry 4.0 technologies. These results suggest that familiarity with Industry 4.0 can inspire more fear than comfort [13]
The results obtained after applying the Achievement Motivation Inventory (AMI), for the scales considered relevant for the study: Engagement—EN, Confidence in success—EZ, Flexibility—FX, Fearlessness—FU, Internality—IN, Preference for difficult tasks—SP, Independence—IN, Status orientation—ST, Competitiveness—WE
Summary
Industry 4.0 and the iMillennials GenerationOver the last decade, the workplace market has changed considerably. Many of the jobs for which people have been educated and trained have changed significantly, and their configuration is determined by the emergence of new digital technologies [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. In some industrial fields and beyond, artificial intelligence performs specific tasks, forcing employees in these sectors to exercise different, unique and human skills [7,8,9,10,11,12]. The evolution of technology requires the attention of decision-makers from the political, economic and social levels, especially from the perspective of educational policies. The role of the human factor in future advanced manufacturing has great significance in the competition with artificial robotics and intelligence [2,10]
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