Abstract:

The engagement of local stakeholders is an essential condition when regions want to identify key priorities for the qualification and requalification of professionals to address the challenges created by the digital transformation of work. Digital transformation is leading to accelerated changes across all production systems, modifying the nature and content of jobs, and forcing us to redefine the roles and responsibilities that are allocated to humans and to our increasingly automated production systems. Understanding these changes is fundamental for the sustainability of companies and territories, in order to set up timely qualification and requalification strategies. On top of the agendas of policy makers, educators and companies are questions such as what skills ad competences will be required for future of work, what roles will humans be asked to play in industry and services, and how to make sense of the evolving labour market demands.

This study describes the outcomes of the participatory process conducted by the research team of the Aveiro Labour Observatory, a project unit led by the University of Aveiro under the Urban Innovative Actions of European Union, aimed at developing knowledge to inform the education and qualification strategies to address digital transformation, and to foster talent retention at regional level.Foresight analysis is a complex task for which a a participatory diagnosis is understood as an adequate approach, not only for allowing for the combination of multiple perspectives and concerns, but also for committing local actors in the priorities defined.

The study describes the participatory workshops and interviews conducted with representatives from industry, education and local development authorities to make sense of the qualification at local level. A set of technical and transversal competences were identified and prioritized. The results of this work were discussed in one-to-one interviews with company managers with responsibilities in strategic human resources decisions, with the purpose of identifying priority areas for the development of several pilot – short – programs. One program was designed for the requalification of (employed) professionals, and the other aimed at the creation of awareness of digital qualification and career opportunities targeted to young graduates from diverse academic fields.

This study emphasizes the importance of the participatory diagnosis to inform the development of qualification policies, building on the real needs of the local companies and their employees to prepare them for the future jobs in the context of the digital transformation.

Keywords:

Digital transformation, qualification, competences.