The qualification gap – challenge of our time
New technologies are developing at a rapid pace. With them, industrial practice and the skills that professionals must acquire today are also changing. The tremendous pace makes it increasingly difficult to embed newly needed skills into statewide or standardized curricula. In addition, employees often do not receive adequate further training. The result is a skills gap: that is, a gap between the skills needed in the industry and the skills employees actually possess.
Competency profiles in transition
In terms of new skills requirements in technical occupations, we are seeing a clear shift toward information technology. Topics such as connectivity and communication, IT security and programming, as well as artificial intelligence and energy management are becoming increasingly important. The need for a more sustainable future requires the inclusion of Green Skills in job profiles.
In addition, knowledge of new business models and agile methods as well as the ability to pioneer and differentiate are necessary in order to be well prepared for the challenges of today's industrial working world. These non-technical soft skills are indispensable today and are constantly being expanded.
Making competence development needs visible
As a globally networked education partner, we translate competency requirements for various professions into competency diagrams.
This schematic competence diagram for the occupational profile of "mechatronics technician" visualizes changes in the requirements in an exemplary manner and makes necessary competence development needs (= qualification gap) clearly visible:
- Black line = competence requirements earlier
- Blue line = competence requirements today
- Gray area = qualification gap
Festo Didactic – Your partner for technical competence development
In order to offer adequate qualification solutions, a precise understanding of the required competencies of different technical job profiles is essential. As part of the Festo Group, we are closely linked to industry and know exactly which competencies are in demand there. Our training department is a leader in modern, industry-appropriate training. In addition, we maintain good contacts with leading educational and research institutions worldwide through our long-standing cooperation. This interaction enables us to create for you not only a true picture of the status quo in terms of qualification requirements, but also realistic forecasts for the future.
Our goal is to help educators and teachers bridge the skills gap by providing groundbreaking learning solutions to teach industry-relevant skills.
Competence-oriented qualification for your teaching
To make it as easy as possible for training officers, we develop adaptive qualification plans for various occupational profiles based on competency needs analyses. These plans reflect current competency requirements and new competency requirements can be easily and quickly integrated into them as needed.
Our qualification plans answer important questions for vocational school teachers, trainers and continuing education officers in companies, such as:
- What new topics should I be mapping in my classroom?
- What topics will I need to map in the future?
- What topics do I need as a base before I can start with more complex content?
- Which learning scenarios are possible?
- Where can I get suitable learning material?
- How do I integrate modern learning methods?
- How do I help my students to develop practical skills and ensure their employability?
Festo Learning Experience
All training content is played out via our digital learning portal, the Festo Learning Experience. Students can thus access their learning modules anytime and from anywhere.
Discover all learning courses in the Festo Learning Experience – the digital learning portal for individual learning experiences.
