Industry 4.0 and preparedness of the workforce: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

The discussion related to the implementation of Industry 4.0 elements has brought researchers' attention to the changes of requirements on the workforce. The current research focuses on identifying the core competencies related to Industry 4.0 and strategies towards their development. The purpose of this article is to observe the topic of competencies, skills, and education amongst the research articles related to Industry 4.0, including its development over the last ten years, identify the current trends in the literature, and make suggestions for future research. Bibliometric analysis was conducted to conclude that research focus related to the workforce adaptation in terms of their skills, competencies, and the requirements from formal education associated with Industry 4.0 needs are not amongst the most discussed related to Industry 4.0.

Workforce readiness for Industry 4.0 from the perspective of employers: Evidence from the Czech Republic

“…The citation analysis and the analysis of papers' keywords in the authors' previous study (Křenková and Olšanová, 2021) uncovered already existing research topics related to Industry 4.0 focusing on education, skills, and competencies. The analyses confirmed that the emphasis is on innovation, higher education and educational innovation, and, at the same time, education is portrayed as a contributor to innovation (Rodríguez-Pose, 2013).…”

“…The need to adapt education and training programs to the changing conditions and requirements is present in most cited papers (Chen et al, 2012;Waller and Fawcett, 2013;Liboni et al, 2019). With regard to innovative study programs, there is an emphasis on analytical skills development (Křenková and Olšanová, 2021). Waller and Fawcett (2013) suggest that there is a growing expectation of more profound analytical skills in graduates and academics, and this contention is supported by Miranda et al (2019).…”

“…The latter conclude that skilled and motivated educators are essential for developing competencies (related to creativity, communication, collaboration, data science, digitalization, and digital technology) that will be important in the future. In the keywords, co-occurrence analysis in the authors' previous research, teacher training is also cited with a direct link to digital competence, information, and communication technology (ICT), higher education in general and innovation (Křenková and Olšanová, 2021).…”

“…The need to adapt education and training programs to the changing conditions and requirements is present in most cited papers (Chen et al, 2012; Waller and Fawcett, 2013; Liboni et al, 2019). With regard to innovative study programs, there is an emphasis on analytical skills development (Křenková and Olšanová, 2021).…”