Redesigning Welding Profile for the Needs of Industry 4.0 Erasmus Project

Project Title

Redesigning Welding Profile for the Needs of Industry 4.0

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Recognition, transparency, certification; Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship)

Project Summary

The European manufacturing industry is at the beginning of a new industrial revolution – being called Industry 4.0 – that holds the promise of increased flexibility in manufacturing, mass customisation, increased speed, better quality and improved productivity. Besides the strong use of ICT and automation, manual processes such as welding, still play a large role in the manufacturing industry. Welders represent a traditional branch with almost no ICT training being implemented. The common approach is classroom face-to-face theoretical training and applied shopfloor welding. Such opposition towards modernisation and new technologies requires a clearly stated concept that builds upon real challenges and working processes. To strive in today’s digital world, meaning handling the changes in the workspace, trained welders must increase their IT knowledge.

The WELD4.0, submitted in 2017 to the UK Erasmus+ National Agency, was an innovative project aiming at the introduction of digital technologies in the context of Industry 4.0 for the existing professional welding profile. The project addressed an actual market need in terms of the skills shortage gap of qualified welding personnel, affecting the broader manufacturing sector in Europe. The WELD4.0 had the following six main objectives:
1) To re-define the European Welder Profile in the context of Industry 4.0, according to the new and future job requirements and analyse the digital welding skills and competences in demand;
2) Improve the quality of qualification programmes in welding, in terms of transparency and recognition among the European countries (using common EU tools);
3) Promote language learning and linguistic diversity through the provision of multinational pilot training, especially in English, German and Portuguese (languages of the consortium members);
4) Increase transparency of competences and qualifications in the welding sector;
5) Foster the promotion of new learning opportunities, in an easily accessible and career-oriented Welding Profile;
6) Implement ICT new learning opportunities, via the development of an innovative ICT training solution.

The WELD4.0 consortium was composed of four partners with complementary backgrounds and expertise:
1. HighSkillz is an ICT company with expertise in game-based learning solutions;
2. BIBA is an interdisciplinary research institute developing technical and organizational solutions and putting them into practice in SMEs as well as multinational companies;
3. ISQ is a welding institute with both sectorial and national expertise in VET and welding;
3. EWF is a European umbrella association on welding with its members being VET providers in a total of 31 European countries.

The WELD4.0 project started with the evaluation of the existing European Welder Curriculum towards the identification of the market needs and the digital skills gap in welding. The result of this analysis was a report on existing curriculum and digitization needs in the welding sector. The main findings of this report was the identification of gaps in the welding curriculum that led to the need of the update of the existing European Welder (EW) training Guideline. Therefore, WELD4.0 developed of a new Competence Unit on the “Introduction to Industry 4.0”. As part of the introduced Competence Unit WELD4.0 developed an innovative ICT-based training solution for welders. The WELD4.0 Tool was an interactive training solution for the support of welding training of entry level personnel with two welding scenarios for different levels of expertise, translated in English. German and Portuguese. Due to the transferability potential of the WELD4.0 methodology to other industrial sectors, a Guide for this purpose was developed.

The WELD4.0 main outcomes were piloted in a series of national events in the UK, Germany and Portugal, throughout the life of the project. The project’s innovative approach was disseminated to the VET and the welding industry through different channels. The project achieved a great impact at local, regional, European and international level. A number of events were realised throughout the project, including co-creation workshops, multiplier events (hands-on seminars, industry awareness events), a training workshop (capacity building event) and an international conference. The new Competence Unit and the innovative ICT training solution were also disseminated and shared with a number of people through the project’s website and social media at a European and International level. The WELD4.0 had a very positive impact based on the feedback provided by the project’s target groups and the participants that were actively involved throughout the project via their participation in evaluation surveys and events. The received feedback indicated that the project addressed a real need of the industry and a requirement in terms of training and preparation of welding professionals to meet the challenges brought by Industry 4.0.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 245472 Eur

Project Coordinator

HIGHSKILLZ LIMITED & Country: UK

Project Partners

• EUROPEAN FEDERATION FOR WELDING JOINING AND CUTTING
• INSTITUTO DE SOLDADURA E QUALIDADE
• BIBA – BREMER INSTITUT FUER PRODUKTION UND LOGISTIK GMBH