Behavioral training of engineering professionals and students for Industry 4.0

Abstract

Purpose: To present suggestions for behavioral competency development for engineers and Engineering students to work in Industry 4.0. Originality/value: A human-machine collaboration model (with artificial intelligence application) is proposed for training engineering professionals for the workplace. The behavioral skills for Industry 4.0 to be developed in Engineering degree programs and the quality of evidence of their inclusion in such programs of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro [UFRJ]) are assessed. Design/methodology/approach: The engineer-machine collaboration model draws on Design Thinking (Brown, 2010) and cognitive modeling of engineers based on a model of logical reasoning (Paul & Elder, 2002), integrating the cognitive model with a model of information flows in human-machine interactions (Riley, 1989). A competency model for Industry 4.0 (Prifti et al., 2017), interviews with leaders of Engineering schools of UFRJ, addressing their planning for the implementation of the new National Curriculum Guidelines for Engineering programs (Resolução no. 2, 2019), and application of the GRADE approach (Balshem et al., 2011) supported the identification of evidence of behavioral competencies for Industry 4.0 in the undergraduate programs. Findings: Engineering professionals train their critical analysis and decision-making skills while the machine searches for and processes information and performs simulations. Low quality evidence was found for the training of undergraduates in emotional intelligence, decision-making, and customer relations. No evidence was identified of training in self-management, entrepreneurship, and understanding of the business model.