DIGITAL RESTRUCTURING OF DEFICIT OCCUPATIONS FOR SOCIETY 5.0 (INDUSTRY 4.0)

Today’s society faces a range of problems, both in the economic, social and cultural spheres. All these problems, however, have a common cue, that is, education. The analysis of the status quo clearly shows that solutions in the field of education, especially in Slovenia, are non-systemic. These solutions rarely lay the groundwork for the real needs of society and systematic research. We can detect short-term and long-term anomalies in the labour market: oshort-term anomalies are mainly related to unskilled or insufficiently trained staff for new challenges; olong-term, systemic anomalies, mainly reflected in the lack of a particular staff (deficit occupations) in various areas such as health, health care, tourism, education. These anomalies also stem mainly from a lack of relevant and reliable research, incomplete analyses and misinterpretations. As a society, we have started to be aware of this issue, but the solutions we implement are non-systemic and non-systematic and are not based on serious research and their findings. In addition to detecting and remediation of short-term problems, the proposal for this programme group addresses in particular the long-term problems and challenges that are ahead. In doing so, we are starting from the premise that the society of the future is already creating a set of entirely new jobs and requirements, completely new professions that are still in one form or another today, and tomorrow will be aimed primarily at them. We will therefore systematically approach research and analysis of best practices in the world, while developing the necessary learning content, stimulating learning environments and appropriate formal and informal forms of education based on serious and fundamental research. If we want the professions, which are predominantly deficit-defiance today, often to be professions that are demanding and require intensive study and complex skills, career opportunities research must be narrowly linked to labour market needs and their requirements. If we want to keep pace with developed companies, our development must be carefully planned and carried out in a timely manner (and as soon as possible!). Although most of the world and Slovenia are with it, somehow still at a crossroads, in space-time between the third and fourth industrial revolutions, we need to explore, analyse and learn about the future, systematically develop them, highlight their long-term attractiveness, and create sufficient stimuli of learning and work environments for them to develop individual occupational and life mobility. The results from the fundamental research of the proposed programme group will not only be of interest from a theoretic point of view, but will also have applied value. We will also promote quality and cooperation between institutions and organisations offering learning opportunities, businesses, social partners and other relevant entities from across Europe.