The Skills for the Digital Future of Plastic Factories UPSKILL
Tackling the skills shortage and skills gap in Europe
THE CHALLENGE
Due to skills gaps, companies in plastics industry across Europe face various problems: unfilled vacancies, downtime, a defect of production, longer delivery times, negative impact on the competitiveness.
The project partners have analysed existing research evidence on the plastics production line conductor’s profession-specific skills needs and identified that development of green and digital skills are specific industrial requirements:
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The digital revolution in industry brings new requirements for competences and qualifications in plastics sector.
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To get the most out of greening the economy, employees must develop the skills, knowledge and competence that resource-efficient processes and technologies need and integrate them into the practices of business and the community.
QUALITY VOCATIONAL TRAINING
01
DIGITAL SKILLS
02
SUSTAINABILITY SKILLS
03
LEAN MANUFACTURING
UPSKILL
APPROACH
THE PROJECT
The aim of the project is to enhance the capability of European VET systems to respond to the plastics sector-specific labour market needs by designing, piloting and implementing an innovative vocational training programme for plastics production line conductors with specific emphasis on digital skills to work with robotics and other smart manufacturing technologies, as well as green skills and entrepreneurial competencies.
The project will:
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enhance the quality of vocational training;
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improve the competence of teachers and plastic machine operators;
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make VET curriculum more relevant to the labour market;
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provide students and teachers with the opportunity to use digital materials.
OBJECTIVES
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Analyse and identify explicitly qualifications and European VET curricula of plastics machine operators based on the current and future skills demand in the plastics industry.
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Develop an adaptive WBL vocational training programme integrating digital, programming, circular economy, and lean manufacturing skills.
INNOVATIVE VET PROGRAMME
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Digital skills for the digital economy
The ICT contribution to the plastics factories of the future will improve the efficiency, adaptability, and sustainability of plastics manufacturing systems.
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Sustainability skills
Developing specific skills required to move ahead in the circular economy, analysing plastics value chain, "greening" manufacturing, products, consumption and end-of-life, resource management within the circular economy.
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Module on lean manufacturing
It will provide tools and processes to eliminate waste from the plastics manufacturing process resulting in improved efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability. Lean aims to shorten the time of order execution, reduce costs and improve work safety and quality.