Skills Requirements for the 4th Industrial Revolution: The Additive Manufacturing case

This work analyses the required expertise knowledge for the European workforce under the implementation spectrum of the technologies from Industry4.0. The advancement of the conventional manufacturing technologies with complementary monitoring and control systems combined with the rapid growth of unconventional manufacturing technologies, calls for the equivalent advancement in the workforce’s expertise. The Industry’s 4.0 skills are mapped and categorized based on the knowledge requirements derived from the major technologies involved. The competences’ categorization is what further determines the Professional Profiles and skills requirements for the Industry4.0. As Additive Manufacturing is one of the most significant manufacturing technologies implemented from Industry4.0 a case study for the required AM skills is performed. The outcome of this work indicates that the AM Professional Profile is a multi-dimensional quantity with multiple competence units that require validation and further evaluation in order to meet the skills requirements imposed by the industry