In the context of industry 4.0 and digital transformation Kutscha proposes that the relationship between the individual and society affords a new interpretation with regard to the primacy of functional efficiency vs. subject orientation; hence, normative ideas about vocational education (Bildung) must be adjusted. Apart from mastering present and emerging digital work technology relevant to adding economic value it seems important to be able to actively engage in upholding civil liberties. The article conceptualizes digital transformation as a process of organizational and societal change, comprised of every vocational area, and both disruptive and revolutionary in nature. It encompasses areas of labor rather spared by digital technology to date and intertwines previously separate vocational fields. On this background, the article intends to conceptualize material categories and relations of digital transformation, to lay the groundwork for the systematic explication of normative ideas about vocational education valid across vocational fields. This also contributes to systematically derive and establish formal educational goals in the context of digital transformation.