SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO THE EDUCATION IN THE FIELD OF SMART PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ENGINEERING

Industry 4.0 has a huge impact on the entire social system. The speed, scope and impact of the changes it brings have an exponential trend. The biggest impact is related to the industry and industrial development. Full digitalization and automation of production is expected, i.e. networking of smart digital devices with products, machines, tools, robots and people. For the realization of such complex tasks, it is necessary to have adequate human resources. In the changes brought by I4.0, the engineering of smart products and services, i.e. the education of development engineers, has a very important role.The social and industrial transformations dictated by the fourth industrial revolution also define new trends in the education of development engineers. Development engineers are expected to be comprehensively educated and trained to work in interdisciplinary project teams, in order to create new intelligent and networked products through creativity, innovation and fascinating technique.The paper presents the development of education through the epochs of industrial development and presents trends and challenges related to the education 4.0. Special attention is paid to the education of development engineers and the relevant competencies they need to have in order to meet the tasks and expectations in modern conditions