TWIN-TECH – Twin Transition for VET Resilience
Project number: 2025-1-SI01-KA220-VET-000360870
Program: Erasmus+ KA220-VET
Project website: twin-tech.eu
Skills like digitalization and green skills have for a long time been talked about in two separate rooms. In the digitalization room, the trainees learned about PCs, about software and automatization. In the green skills room, about energy-efficiency, about renewable energy and about sustainable production in industry.
There is no need for skilled workers to change their occupation to a completely different one, but new digital tools and areas of knowledge are increasingly being integrated into their work. An example is that of the electrician. The core of their work is safety, wiring and maintenance, but the variety of equipment they work with is increasing. Smart meters, solar inverters, battery systems, building management systems, and software for monitoring and managing energy use in buildings are just a few examples.
Further, hybrid skills are being developed in manufacturing, construction, transport and energy industries. For example, sensor data in production could be used to minimize waste. Building technicians will work with digital building models whilst increasing energy efficiency. Mechanics in garages can use software to diagnose problems with electric vehicles before starting work on them. And in warehouses, workers track deliveries and can plan routes to be as efficient as possible and to minimize movement.
Work can change in many ways yet still remain (deeply) meaningful work for that individual. All that is required is for them to acquire a few more skills on top of the set of skills they have already acquired. In essence, work of a hybrid nature where that individual works as a ‘hybrid worker’ to provide value to others.
According to the World Economic Forum 39% of the core skills workers possess today will change by 2030. While technology-related skills are expected to grow at a fast pace, Environmental Responsibility, Creativity, Adaptability, Learning Abilities and Critical Thinking are among others, which are also becoming more relevant. Mostly it is a combination of skills that are required for a job.
This poses challenges for VET in terms of educational provision, as training within the framework of new topics cannot simply be added to existing programs with digital and sustainability topics in isolation. Energy efficiency needs to be connected to the use of monitoring data; production in a circular manner needs to be linked to the tracking of materials through a process. Use of digital tools must reveal added value in tackling real-world problems within a workshop setting.
The growing demand for the new skilled worker with hybrid skills such as energy efficiency, sustainable use of resources, data-driven decision making and automation/smart systems in industry is the focus of the TWIN-TECH project. In its transnational research work, the project is developing learning pathways for the required combination of digital and sustainability skills.
Many of the changing occupations already exist: the electrician, the technician, the machine operator, the construction worker and the maintenance worker. Their tasks are being transformed in a way that requires constant learning and updating of their competences. For VET providers, the biggest challenge is therefore to equip learners and workers for these changing and new working situations without forcing them to start all over again.
In order to assess labor market needs and develop training programs, in the era of rapid technological change, it is highly advisable to promote European cooperation among VET providers, companies and training organizations, within the framework of the Erasmus+ program, such as TWIN-TECH, to develop joint, comparative approaches to assessing and addressing changing needs in the workplace.
