Digital Coach
The starting point for the "Digital Coach" project are the challenges that the digital transformation poses to individual actors, companies, the economy, and society. The project is concerned with the question of how the actors in the education system succeed in promoting the skills required to shape the digital transformation in companies or organizations as well as in the economy.
In this context, the maturity model (ADAPTION) developed at the Ruhr University Bochum, classified as tried and tested, is being used within selected training companies in the EU countries. On the basis of a corresponding questionnaire, deficits and strengths can be identified by comparing the actual and target states, and the need for skills and skill development can be worked out. At the same time, effective and efficient competence development programmes can be designed and implemented in a targeted manner, and individual future strategies for the respective companies can be worked out in a situation-specific manner.
The acquisition of competencies required in connection with the digital transformation also raises the question in the project as to which learning locations are particularly suitable. In addition to the (vocational) schools and the training companies, a new learning location is being added with the "learning factory" learning location. The concept of the ”learning factory” represents an innovative approach to promoting the teaching and learning, both required in the context of implementing new digital technologies. In this context, it should be noted that the number of learning factories in Germany alone has increased considerably in recent years (from 3 in 2003 to over 30 in 2019). Just like the other learning locations, the learning factory’s learning location should meet certain quality standards. However, such quality standards do not currently exist. The EU project aims to work out quality standards for the establishment, implementation and evaluation of learning factories.
Another aim of the project is to further develop a modular, competence-oriented curriculum and a training programme based on the analysis and potential tool of the maturity model and the methodological-didactic concept of the "learning factory" in order to finally introduce and implement the innovative field of activity of a "digital coach". The digital coach will act as an internal and external process promoter for the companies, who will have the necessary competences to meet the requirements resulting from the digital transformation of the economy and the companies. The digital coach will take on a similar task in relation to the learning factory as, for example, trainers in training companies.
The corresponding module programme comprises several self-learning modules such as (1) quality and process management as a starting point for digitisation including artificial intelligence, (2) Industry 4.0 including maturity models, (3) new business models and corporate co-operation, (4) corporate strategy for digital transformation and agile project management, (5) acceptance assurance of IT solutions, (6) learning transfer and learning location co-operation between training companies, vocational schools and learning factories, (7) opportunities for participation.
The target group of the project is primarily the teachers, i.e. groups of people who are responsible for vocational education and training, in order to be able to benefit from multiplier effects and thus, ideally, to bring about sustainable change. This group of persons includes, for example, trainers of instructors, instructors in companies and in inter-company training centres as well as teachers of vocational schools, but also employees of chambers of industry and commerce or of business development agencies.
It is the task of the respective project partners in the EU countries to ensure, among other things, access to (a) the target groups of the project, (b) the training companies that have a learning factory or a similar facility, and (c) the learning factories, among others, in the region. It is decisive for the sustainability and the impact of the project that a total of three learning factories could be won as project partners, who will contribute their expertise in the field of the lLearning-actory-and-teaching-factory concept to the digital coach task area.
The consortium consists of the following project partners: The Chambers of Industry and Commerce at Pécs (Hungary), Heraklion (Greece) and Gabrovo (Bulgaria), the learning factories at Ruhr University (Germany), the learning factory at the University of Budapest (Hungary) and the University of Patras (Greece) and a management consulting in Heraklion (Greece). The project is managed by the Institute for Work Science at the Ruhr University Bochum.