Industry 4.0: Time for MORE Education, with MORE Variety, for MORE People

In the last year, the pandemic has forced significant changes to legacy education systems across the world. We’ve seen increases in online learning, remote teaching and exams. Even though we’ve evolved with the times, we’re a long way from where we need to be. Especially in terms of preparing for more changes brought on by industry 4.0, which will continue to drastically alter the education and employment space.

One area is the growing value of digital credentials. Whether we look into the past or current developments, people are still being asked to show certificates of qualifications to get jobs. And, with the way in which the world now moves, we will continue to see digital acceleration across all sectors. This will demand a whole new level of work and life skills.

Another aspect that we’ve seen is a growing need for teaching to change. Companies want individuals (both freshers or working professionals) with broad knowledge. They don’t want people who can only execute things – execution monkeys. Whether people are working in digital or a labour-intensive service space with digital aids, companies want people who are sharp enough to thrive in the current and future working environment.

Working or preparing to work in dynamic spaces will demand people to make continuous learning and earning certificates a habit. How else can one prove their continuous progress?

Training and educational institutes should see changes brought on by industry 4.0 as a benefit. Why? Well, if people have to continuously learn, you should never be out of business. You will have to continuously teach. So, you’ll see more re-enrolment and new enrolments.

However, a challenge that you’ll have to tackle is regularly updating the course curriculum, syllabus and training materials.

To succeed in industry 4.0, skills are all that matter

Wiley Education Services and Future Workplace conducted a survey of 600 human resource leaders, of which 64% said that there is a skill-gap in their organization. Moreover, over 60% said they would hire retired or unemployed workers with skills. And surprisingly, 90% said that they would recruit candidates without a 4-year degree.

But perhaps the most interesting stats are the ones that best summarize Industry 4.0. If people have the right skills and the right aptitude, prior experience and education will take a back seat. Maybe that’s why 40% of HR professionals say that the shelf-life of a skill was lesser than 4 years. Besides, 47% say they would hire short-term employees with skills over long-term ones!

Apart from companies like Amazon and JP Morgan are investing heavily to retrain their existing employees, people are also realising that they have to pick new skills to sustain their careers. Now would be the best time to offer upskilling and reskilling courses.

Teach and excel with digital tools

People’s attitude has shifted – it is no more about; I should do it because everyone else is doing it. On an individual level, people have realised the learning will help them stay relevant and along with learning, certifications can improve their career prospects immensely.

However, most individual’s face great confusion on which institute to learn from. From quality of training to credibility of the certificates, people are unable to decide which institutes to rely on. Here is where you can make a difference. Advertising is one way to proceed, but your ad might get lost is a sea of ads. Adopting digital tools that will set you apart can be key.

What kind of digital tools? Digital certificates, blockchain technology, data analytics and more.

Now, incorporating these technologies or digital solutions might sound like a huge investment. It doesn’t have to be. Instead of hiring a development team and building custom solutions, you can choose plug-and-play solutions. Why reinvent the wheel, when you can just buy them?

If you’re concerned about institute information and student data security then simply choose solutions based on blockchain technology and rest assured that data is safe.

Adopting blockchain technology will put an end to fake certificates.

Certif-ID can be your plug-and-play solution

Leading educational institutes including corporate training centers are using Certif-ID as a learner recognition and certification platform. Why? Apart from enabling institutes to issue their certificates on a blockchain-powered platform, it also provides a host of digital tools for students.

Certif-ID is a dedicated skills-community: it connects training institutes, learners and recruiters on a single platform
Learners on the platform can create profiles and gain visibility (showcase their skills) and connect with recruiters
Through the platform, recruiters can screen and source for learners based on skills, verify their digital certificates with a few clicks and reduce recruitment efforts

On Certif-ID, the certification process is transparent. Whenever an institution or employer issues a digital certificate or credential, it creates an unalterable link between a candidate’s achievement and their credentials. Using the features of blockchain, institutes/admins can trace the issued certificate and verify them.

Such a solution will not only optimise processes but will also reduce the costs associated with printing and distributing paper certificates. On the other hand, it will speed up the verification process, empowering students to showcase their skills and advance their careers.

Also read: Blockchain in Education: Its Role in Digital Identity and Authentication https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/blockchain-in-education-its-role-in-digital-identity-and-authentication/

All in all, now is certainly the right time to make your move and prepare to succeed in industry 4.0: There are massive opportunities across a plethora of great technologies. Right from Cloud computing to AI to Cybersecurity, the world is your oyster.