Future Skills Requirements Research Articles

Towards a QBLM-Based Qualification-Management Methodology Supporting Human-Resource Management and Development

This position paper presents a novel perspective on addressing the challenges of digital transformation in higher education through the development of a qualification-based learning model (QBLM) qualification management methodology. It argues that the rapid pace of technological advancement and the resulting need for continuous upskilling and reskilling necessitate a more dynamic and adaptive approach to human-resource management and development. The paper posits that by extending QBLM through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), a more effective system for analyzing competence requirements and designing personalized learning pathways can be created. The paper proposes a three-fold approach: (1) developing the FPHR ontology to support semantic annotation of HR qualifications in higher-education institutions (HEIs), (2) integrating this ontology into QBLM to ensure the machine-readability of qualifications, and (3) modeling a knowledge-based production process for HRs in skills-based learning. This paper outlines the current state of the art, presents conceptual models, and describes planned proof-of-concept implementations and evaluations. It contends that this approach will significantly enhance the effectiveness of human-resource development in the rapidly evolving digital knowledge society. By presenting this position, the paper aims to stimulate discussion and collaboration within the academic community on innovative approaches to qualification management in higher education. The work addresses critical issues arising from technological development and offers a forward-thinking solution to bridge the gap between current and future skill requirements in industry and academia.

Proposing the future skill requirements for maritime cyber security

Proposing the future skill requirements for maritime cyber security

Design principles to develop digital innovation skills: a design-based research approach

The digitisation of the world has led to a multitude of far-reaching implications that require students to be prepared for the dynamic era of rapid change, complexity, fluidity, and ubiquity in which they will work at the forefront of technology. To succeed in this environment, students must be able to design and implement digital innovations within the broader spectrum of digital transformation. Despite the importance of this area, the literature shows a lack of research on how digital business innovation skills can be effectively taught to students. To address this gap, a design-based research (DBR) study was conducted using a mixed-methods design through three iterations at a South African university. The study aimed to answer the research question of how digital business innovation skills should be taught to South African Information Systems students. The study commenced with an analysis of practical problems experienced by practitioners, industry, students, and researchers and an initial review of pertinent literature. The literature review focused on the impact of digitisation on future skills requirements to inform the pedagogy, content, and technology applicable to the teaching and learning environment. The findings yielded design principles for the design of the learning environment that were tested and refined via three iterations, resulting in nine design principles. The aim was to ensure a future-oriented, industry-informed curriculum design that is relevant to the digital economy.

Identifying the skills requirements related to industrial symbiosis and energy efficiency for the European process industry

The need for sustainable production, efficient use of resources, energy efficiency and reduction in CO2 emission are currently the main drivers that are transforming the European process industry besides Industry 4.0. Since the potential of industrial symbiosis (IS) and energy efficiency (EE) about environmental, economic and social issues has been discovered, the interest in them is gradually increasing. The funding and investments for IS and EE are highly encouraged by the European Commission, while more and more policies as well as research and innovation (R&I) activities are initiated to promote European industry’s advancement towards a circular economy and CO2 neutrality. The aim is to maintain the competitiveness and economic progress of the industry. The key to build a competitive and sustainable European manufacturing industry is to create a competent, highly qualified workforce that is capable of handling the new business models coming with IS and EE requirements and digital technologies. We can generate this by identifying the skills needs and upskilling and reskilling the current workforce accordingly by delivering the suitable training programmes. Therefore, this work identifies the most critical skills needs related to IS and EE for six different energy-intensive sectors (steel, ceramic, water, cement, chemical and minerals) in Europe. The effect of the digital transformation on the skills needs is as well discussed. The identified skills are aimed to be included in vocational education and training (VET), tertiary education and other kinds of training curricula. We also identify the cross-sectoral most representative job profiles linked with EE and IS in these sectors and demonstrate the methodology for the selection process. Furthermore, we present a key tool for identifying the most significant current and future skills requirements. Also, we define the critical skill gaps of the European process industry using this tool. Once the skill gaps are defined, they can be reduced by delivering well-developed continuous trainings. We also link our work to the respectable ESCO, the European Classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations, to attain a common ground with other studies and frameworks, minimise the complexity and contribute to their work. Our work is developed to be an academic and industrial guideline to prepare well-developed training programmes to deliver the needed skills.

Skill Sets for Future Hospitality Jobs

Aim: This paper reviews the literature on latest jobs and skills requirement in hospitality industry. The purpose of this paper is to identify the future jobs and requirements of skill set for hospitality industry in the 4th Industrial revolution.
 Methodology: Literature were collected from various online and offline resources that related to future job requirements and skill requirements in Tourism and hospitality industry in the 4th Industrial revolution. A Critical analysis of the literature and investigation from different walks of life, namely academics, technological advancement, government, Industry was carried out.
 Results: After critically reviewing the literature it was found that trends of jobs are changing due to the intervention of technology. To survive in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry various set of skills are required. New paradigm shift in the hospitality industry is felt. This is the needed time to adjust in line with the technological inventions and be ready to adapt. Educational institutes should take proper initiatives for development of new sets of skill among their students. In future demands of robotics, artificial intelligence and automatic service are increasing. Employees should be ready with the new technological invention in the industry. 
 Conclusion: Higher education institutes will adopt the holistic development of students through adoption of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses along with the arts and humanities for hospitality students. It will definitely help the students for getting new skills.

AI digitalisation and automation of the apparel industry and human workforce skills

ABSTRACT AI digitalisation and automation are rapidly transforming the apparel industry, creating the need for a radical evolution of the workforce at all stages of apparel production. This study explores how AI digitalisation and automation is transforming the skills required by the human workforce as well as examined how the future workforce might be trained. The study employed a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with 21 participants from 5 different countries. Findings indicate intellectual, innovative, and creative jobs will be in significant demand in the future of AI and automation. Results indicate digital and technical skills should be emphasised in training of employees, over soft skills. The study suggests that industry and academia must collaborate in identifying and forecasting future skills requirements of the apparel workforce, and that sustainable and ethical practices be followed in technology implementation within the future apparel industry.

Addressing Proficiency Gaps in Future Skills Between Employers and Learners Through Data Visualization.

The pandemic has principally changed the way the construction industry operates. It has caused a profound shift in how we conduct our work, with a large-scale take-up of remote working and changes in our digital approach. The way we work is changing. All these impacts challenge the traditional supply chain and working practices of the construction industry negatively, resulting in price escalations, additional costs, loss of revenue, payment delays and increase in disputes and claims. This study aimed to assess the skill proficiency of learners and narrow the employers' and young engineers' perspectives on what are the future skills requirements in the construction industry in the world of digitalization. This study, which comprised two surveys entitled "Future Skills-What does the future look like for young engineers?" (for employers) and "WLA Survey in "Future Skills"-The Proficiency Analyses of Young Engineers-to-be" (for learners), was a part of the Workplace Learning and Assessment (WLA) Engagement Series for students. This research attempts to map skill proficiency of learners (or young engineers-to-be) with the future skill requirements of the employers and to make recommendations on the construction-related institutional arrangements. A quantitative approach by using online surveys as the main data collection tool was adopted. A sample of 20 WLA-participating employers and 23 WLA-participating students in construction companies was generated. In December 2021, the project team initiated two surveys to explore the expectation for the future workforce in the construction industry. Interview results covering various construction-related disciplines, including civil engineering, building studies, surveying and building technology, were analysed and illustrated using Microsoft Power BI. Content analysis with data visualizations was used to identify major themes. This study has shown that employers and students have different perceptions of skills and attributes as critical competencies for a successful workforce. On a positive note, there was a high level of satisfaction for both employers and learners in "Training Structure" and "Training and Development". This study highlighted that students did not have the appropriate level of knowledge as expected by their employers in key subject areas of the construction industry. Employers expressed a clear expectation for the roles and responsibilities of young engineers in their organizations. Areas of practice such as building information modelling (BIM), "Problem Solving", and "Presentation Skills" were highlighted as critical for the future. The competency of youngsters in achieving targeted vision and goals as well as the competency in striving for continual improvement was identified as highly relevant for the future. There was potential for young engineers to play a more active role in their organizations and to repackage their technical skill and interpersonal skill sets for anticipated future roles. The choice of the quantitative research design approach was guided by the need to capture numerical data in the construction industry of Hong Kong for the purpose of illuminating differences in perspectives among participants about future skills for WLA implementation in vocational and professional education and training (VPET). This study can help to investigate the skill proficiency gaps that employers will be looking for and how WLA can bring maximized benefits to students and companies. Based on the results, the students can be better informed about the workplace settings and be prepared for the upcoming industrial attachment or apprenticeship programme with WLA. Feedback provided by the companies can help support students' transition into the world of work. On the other hand, by understanding learners' self-perception, this adaptation made by the companies could result in what looks to be part of a longer-term change in how we work, particularly with a move to increased use of hybrid working. The statistical models with data visualization based on Power BI can also lead to the experimentation and inference that inform the institution's strategy.

Investigating proactive measures towards MET development with respect to 4IR

The increasing technological advancement in the maritime industry imposed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) contributes significantly to changing the nature of jobs, which according to the World Economic Forum, might lead to massive job losses owing to either redundancy or skills mismatch. Nevertheless, the maritime workforce can endure the adverse effects of this transformation by adopting proactively responsive measures for boosting the potential role of seafarers through sustaining an appropriate level of Maritime Education and Training (MET) that comprehends the dynamic evolution of the industry and addresses its future needs. Despite the fact that the IMO has taken several global initiatives in support of the 4IR, it appears that further measures are still urgently required. This implies obligations upon both the national maritime authorities and the maritime educational organizations to tackle this challenge. It is well acknowledged that the primary responsibility of MET Institutions is to equip graduates with future competencies and skills needed for employment. Such duty involves a set of challenges that the MET system needs to address effectively in order to continue delivering a relevant education to the current technological revolution. This research aims to demonstrate indicative examples of global proactive measures adopted at international, national and institutional levels in addition to future skills requirements concerning 4IR. The research concludes with a key approach to the transformational strategy for enabling MET Institutions to maintain the sustainable development of MET Keywords: MET, Maritime Industry, 4IR, Seafarers, Competences, Measures.

The Fashion Buying Career of Vanessa Denza: A Case Study Analysis to Inform Future Buying Skills

This article traces the long career of the international fashion buyer and recruitment consultant, Vanessa Denza. It is the first study to document Denza’s profession and incorporates research secured from access to her private work archive, which was located at her home in Berkshire, England. With no formal education in buying, Denza took a series of internships that formed the beginning of her on-the-job training as a fashion buyer and led to an important role as the buyer for a pioneering store aimed at younger people, The 21 Shop at Woollands in Knightsbridge, London, UK. Here, she promoted exciting designers who worked with revolutionary new shapes and colours and introduced radical new ways to sell fashion. Subsequent roles led to her directing a series of global fashion boutiques; the establishment of her international fashion buying office and recruitment consultancy; and an influential role in developing global fashion education. The article pinpoints the key buying skills that Denza considered essential within her career and seeks opinions on them in relation to future skills requirements for fashion buying. The aim is to understand and contextualise this expertise within in an ever-changing, global fashion industry.

Identifying Future Skill Requirements of the Job Profiles for a Sustainable European Manufacturing Industry 4.0

The exponential growth of digitalisation and the continuous increase in sustainability needs are currently reshaping the European manufacturing industry through its entire value chain. Industrial sectors have undergone significant changes globally in recent years, and they will continue to face this deep transformation. The manufacturing sectors, more specifically, companies, need to develop a relevant strategy that can support their organisation to handle the upcoming future technological developments and sustainability requirements properly. In order to implement the strategy effectively and achieve an adequate digital and green transformation, their main focus should be the development of a multi-skilled workforce. This competent workforce can only be built by foreseeing the changes in the needed skills for the manufacturing industry and then updating the skills of the current workforce accordingly. As an answer to this need, we developed an automated skill database for the manufacturing industry, particularly transversal occupations of this sector related to the industrial symbiosis (IS) and energy efficiency (EE). Differently from the conventional ones, the generated database incorporated not only the current but also the future skill needs for each profile. During the development of the future skills for each occupation in the database, we identified the foreseen skill needs for the manufacturing industry through detailed desk research. Therefore, this paper presents a valuable perspective on the subject. Our work aimed to fill the gap for a database specifically developed for the manufacturing industry, which provides the end-users with data about the new skills requirements resulting from industrial changes and sustainability needs. We believe that companies, education and training institutions and policymakers can make use of the generated database as a complementary tool for developing their training programmes or strategy roadmaps to cover the emerging changes in each individual industrial sector.

Future Skill Requirements in Transportation Engineering and Implications for Graduate Curriculum Design

AbstractThe transportation engineering field is currently experiencing a profound transformation driven by technological evolution, which highlights the importance of preparing students for the typ...

Mastery of Skills 4.0 Effect on The Readiness of College Students in Facing Revolution of Industry 4.0

Revolution of industry 4.0 initiated by the German government, starting from the development of individual innovation behavior especially in the fields of robotics, digital technology, and information, has caused distortions to the future skills requirements. Some of the skills needed a lot in the past are now starting to experience a shift towards less needed. Some are even unnecessary because they are replaced by automation and robots. The emergence of several new skills (skills 4.0) that are more dominant is needed to make every interested party to prepare themselves to face the challenges of the revolution of industry 4.0. Students are one of the interested parties who will face the challenges of the revolution of industry 4.0 after they graduates from the formal higher education. This study determines the readiness of students in facing the revolution of industry 4.0, influenced by the mastery of skills 4.0 and individual innovation behavior with their innovation behavior as a mediating variable. Respondents in this study are 233 undergraduate students of the Andalas University. Using a cluster sampling technique, the data is collected using Likert scale based- questionnaire after which calculations are then performed using the Smart-PLS Program software 3.2.8. The results show that skills 4.0 and individual innovation behavior have a positive effect on students' readiness in facing the challenges of the revolution of industry 4.0. It implies that the students need to improve their mastery of skills 4.0 in order to prepare themselves to face the challenges of the revolution of industry 4.0.

A Guide for the Food Industry to Meet the Future Skills Requirements Emerging with Industry 4.0.

The food industry has recently faced rapid and constant changes due to the current industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, which has also profoundly altered the dynamics of the industry overall. Due to the emerging digitalisation, manufacturing models are changing through the use of smart technologies, such as robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, etc. They are experiencing a new phase of automation that enables innovative and more efficient processes, products and services. The introduction of these novel business models demands new professional skills requirements in the workforce of the food industry. In this work, we introduce an industry-driven proactive strategy to achieve a successful digital transformation in the food sector. For that purpose, we focus on defining the current and near-future key skills and competencies demanded by each of the professional profiles related to the food industry. To achieve this, we generated an automated database of current and future professions and competencies and skills. This database can be used as a fundamental roadmap guiding the sector through future changes caused by Industry 4.0. The interest shown by the local sectorial cluster and related entities reinforce the idea. This research will be a key tool for both academics and policy-makers to provide well-developed and better-oriented continuous training programs in order to reduce the skill mismatch between the workforce and the jobs.

Skills and Training Requirements for the Future Transportation Sector of Europe

More than 10 million people are directly employed by the transport industry in Europe, accounting for 4.5 % of total employment and representing 4.6 % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This fact, combined with the rapid developments and changes of the sector, makes imperative the need to create, attract and retain appropriate staff. As the overall trend is to increase automation, the sector will depend more and more on specialised equipment and products. Future jobs will therefore require new and advanced skills in engineering as well as in back office operations, but at the same time, the growing interdisciplinary elements of transport activities will also require transport professionals with developed skills in safety, security, logistics, IT, behavioural sciences, marketing and economics. The European Research project SKILLFUL has developed a structured foresight into the vocational and academic qualifications in the Transportation sector of the future and has proposed training schemes and their supportive business models that could ideally be adopted European-wide, to enhance employability and sustainable industrial development in the transportation sector in Europe. The identification of future requirements constituted the basis of the project. The impact of new technologies and game changers, as well as emphasis on intermodality and interdisciplinarity on employability and future worker skills, have led to the development of relevant scenarios on future jobs knowledge and skills requirements, regarding the road transport in Europe. This has led to the identification and design of proper and specific curricula for training (with emphasis on middle-skilled professionals and lifelong learning), while also to the introduction of six novel concepts of business actors, expected to facilitate the training process and enhance the transport-education chain. The project goes a step beyond by addressing also critical issues towards a PanEuropean master curriculum on transport.

The Pedagogical Model of Philippine STEAM Education: Drawing Implications for the Reengineering of Philippine STEAM Learning Ecosystem

The education sector has to cope with the shifting contour of the global economic landscape, because industries are highly technology-driven, and humans are at the brink of being replaced by machines. New set of skills are required from the human workforce. Higher education institutions (HEIs) need to nurture graduates who demonstrate skills that machines are not capable of. Because most innovations emerge from Science, Technology, Engineering, Agri-Fisheries, and Mathematics (STEAM) disciplines, STEAM education needs to be reinvented. This article proposes a framework to reengineer the Philippine STEAM learning ecosystem, inspired by the recently developed Philippine Pedagogical Model of STEAM Education. The proposed framework was developed as a recommendation to the Philippine government on how the current paradigm and practices of STEAM education in the country can be further improved. The proposed framework features a skills-based learning architecture where competencies are mapped primarily from industry requirements and global trends. The proposed framework specifically implies venturing into non-conventional learning modalities to uphold efficient and effective development of emerging and future skills requirements of the labor market, thereby increasing its productivity and innovation indices.

Validity and reliability of a self-assessment scale for Dental and Oral Health student's perception of transferable skills in Australia.

The Australian Dental Council's (ADC) competency framework requires graduating dental practitioners to be competent in a number of transferable skills, which includes: being scientifically versed, technically skilled and capable of safe independent work and teamwork, whilst adhering to high ethical standards (Australian Dental Council. Professional Competencies of the Newly Qualified Dentist. Melbourne, Australia: ADC; 2016). Part of the role of dental educators is to ensure graduating students acquire requisite transferable skills, in line with regulatory requirements (Chuenjitwongsa et al. Eur J Dent Educ. 2018;22:1). In order to achieve this, it is imperative to assess students' own understanding or perception of transferable skill requirement upon graduation. The objective of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale for this assessment. A cohort of students drawn across three different dental programmes: undergraduate dentistry (years 1-3); post-graduate dentistry (years 4-5); and Bachelor of Dental Technology/Prosthesis, participated in this study. A self-assessment questionnaire containing relevant open- and closed-ended questions was administered. The questionnaire assessed students' perception of transferable skills for their future career and attitude towards learning and developing transferable skills. In total, we successfully assessed 388 of the 391 students sampled (99.2% response rate), their mean age was 24.3years (SD±5.7), and 53.3% were females, whilst 46.7% were males. Overall, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted five factors for students' perception of current skill level, and four factors for future skill requirements. The factor structures were confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the structure had a good model fit and high levels of reliability, with respect to individual dimension and content validity. The structure derived from the transferable skill survey administered to a cohort of dental students suggests that the transferable skill survey can be utilised as a valid and reliable screening tool to test students' perception of transferable skill requirements.

"From terrible teen to terrific trainee": Norwegian cases of innovative workplace-school collaboration to educate young people to become skilled workers in modern manufacturing industry

Contemporary debates over "the factory of the future" show that industries will need vocational workers that are empowered and skilled to act as decision-makers and controllers, holding technical and social skills of a high standard. Further, industrial development demands enough supply of skilled vocational workers. In Norway, a parallel concern is drop-out rates from upper secondary education. Consequently, it is of joint concern for the manufacturing industries, the secondary education system and the welfare state alike to ensure that young people choose vocational education and that they finish their education with skills and motivation needed to contribute in the "future manufacturing factory". The research question is the following: How can lower secondary schools or vocational colleges collaborate with industrial companies as to motivate young people to become vocational workers who are educated in the technical and generic skills needed for future manufacturing industries? With an action research approach, we explore on experiments of such innovative collaboration. We find that workplace-learning motivates young people to learn both trade specific and generic competencies. Thus, we argue that the lower secondary school-system must be included in what traditionally has been vocational education-workplace collaboration. Further, we find that the learning of future skill requirements presupposes collective learning processes and authentic problem solving. Finally, we argue that competencies fit well as an inclusion in both the social- and technological dimensions of socio-technical systems design, but more research is needed on the mechanisms by which competencies become "inputs" and "outputs" of future work designs.

Global Workforce Trends in Health Informatics & Information Management.

In a data driven environment, healthcare has seen ongoing digital transformation to meet both clinical and business needs. But, have the educational and functional requirements of the health informatics and information management (HIIM) workforce also adapted? This study examined the current employment opportunities in HIIM globally. Using 11 keywords generated from a literature review, postings on the job advertisement website Indeed™for all available countries were analyzed. The results show that job postings tend to fall within 4 discrete categories: 1) health information technology; 2) health research; 3) health leadership and project management; and 4) health compliance. Data indicated a higher prevalence for certain areas by country. The findings from this study can inform HIIM educational providers about future skill requirements.

Future Skills Requirements Analysis in Maritime Industry

The latest technological developments in maritime industry with the effects of fourth industrial revolution, industry 4.0, will require a change in the skill needs of the workforce from on-board operational based skills. It turns into an essential issue to identify the skills requirements with the incorporation of new technologies in maritime industry from the perspectives of industrial and educational. At this insight, this paper focuses on the analysis and identification of future skills requirements in maritime industry to bridge the gaps between the training offers and the actual needs of the industry. In the paper, the future skills requirements are comprehensively analyzed under the lights of the emergent technologies in maritime industry. We believe that, the outcomes of the paper will present significant outcomes for the stakeholders of maritime industry in order to take relevant actions respect to the effects of industry 4.0.

Aligning the talent development and succession planning processes: don’t allow critical leadership talent to fall by the wayside

Purpose – Organizations need to take a holistic view of their talent management programs, and it’s no longer sufficient to simply look at the top layers of leadership (succession planning). High potentials need to be identified early and customized plans put in place to ensure that their development is aligned to the business strategy. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a global study commissioned by Korn Ferry and conducted by Hanover research during August and September 2014. The survey covered 54 countries globally and companies ranging in size from 500 to 50,000+ employees. It generated more than 1,000 responses from business leaders at the following levels: C-suite (41 per cent), VP/SVP/EVP (42 per cent), Director (11 per cent) and Other (6 per cent). Findings – Only one third of those surveyed reported they are satisfied with the outcomes of their succession programs and the majority end up recruiting externally more often than they would like to obtain the talent they need. Analysis of current versus future skills requirements is rarely done and promotions are awarded on current performance rather than future potential. Development plans are not differentiated neither are they dynamically managed. A structured and systematic approach is needed, starting earlier in employees’ careers to ensure those who have the greatest potential are ready when they need to be. Originality/value – Organizations typically recruit externally more often than they would wish. This article, through analysis of the survey results, highlights the need for a more holistic approach with early intervention and differentiated development.