Pursuing the goal of identifying qualification priorities in Aveiro, the team of researchers from the University of Aveiro that is part of the Labour Observatory conducted, on February 20, a new workshop that brought together 16 companies representing the local industry. Among the different industrial sectors represented, the ceramic industry, plastics and foundry stand out, among others.
The workshop was hosted at the premises of AIDA - Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the District of Aveiro, and had the collaboration of INOVARIA and the Municipality of Aveiro, partners of the Aveiro STEAM City project, directly involved in the work of the Labour Observatory.
This workshop follow the track of previous workshops conducted in 2019 with TICE and Tourism and Services companies, also held at the facilities of different stakeholders in Aveiro, including the Creative Science Park (PCI), UNAVE, and the Parque de Exposições de Aveiro.
The digital transformation in industry is already a reality. The term industry 4.0 results from the certainty that we are experiencing a fourth industrial revolution. This term is used to define the trend is associated with the concept of smart factories, which relates and articulates virtual and physical systems that, combined with digital networks and platforms, will lead to the development of radically different value chains.
The adoption of new technologies requires rethinking the role of professionals and equipment, their functions, their responsibilities and their autonomy. These changes are taking place in a context in which the digitization and automation of many processes is generating increasing volumes of data that will be fundamental for decision-making and streamlining the responses of the productive systems in a faster and more flexible way. This promise, however, will only be realized if companies are able to qualify their human capital for the new performance contexts. In this sense, the workshop participants were invited to communicate their vision about the needs for qualification and requalification for the sustainability of the digital transformation in Aveiro, not only in the technical scope, but also in what concerns transversal skills, known as soft skills and which are fundamental to the successful performance of professional activities.
The participants were practically unanimous regarding the need for qualification in the areas of Big Data and data analysis. Other areas highlighted included automation and artificial intelligence, as well as competences related to sustainability.
The Observatory's next steps include conducting interviews and questionnaires to various entities, which will help to consolidate the results and will serve as a basis for the training programs to start this year.
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