How to bridge the SMEs skills gap in relation to IIoT technologies

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) radically transforms contemporary industry, but unlocking its significant value is challenging and cumbersome. The emergence of the new technology is creating new skills gaps, shortages and mismatches, especially for micro companies and SMEs, which are in inferior position compared to large enterprises in manufacturing sector to attract and retain the scarce digital talents. The European Commission has just funded a new Erasmus+ KA3 project aimed at creating a VET Network with a certification scheme for professionals, being IIoT developers or users or sales workers, and training them to adapt and adopt a new common framework of best practices of the modern IIoT know-how in order to be able to combine effectively the knowledge and fundamental principles from various areas of expertise of cutting-edge technologies in the IIoT sector and gain a competitive advantage in their carrier path.

The IIoTNET - “Industrial Internet of Things VET Network” project will be useful to the SMEs' managers by achieving the following specific objectives:

• to support the uptake and mainstreaming of IIoT VET training and to promote the integration of talent development in collaboration with external stakeholders;
• to create sustainable institutional structures and ICT tools, enabling IIoT training and stakeholder co-creation in talent development;
• to build IIoT VET providers teaching capacities for delivering innovative training in view of building trainees’ employability skills in fast growing industrial sectors.

The first project activity was the elaboration of online-based/desk research IIoTNet National survey concerning the SMEs’ situation in connection with IIoT technologies and the publication of a Transnational report in support of SMEs in meeting the demands with clear overview of today’s SMEs’ situation in Europe in relation to Industry 4.0 in particular IIoT technologies. It will be possible to read the Transnational report in the next weeks at the link www.iiot-network.eu.
If you are a SME interested to benefit the results and products of IIoTNET project, in order to bridge the skills gaps of your staff who uses digital and new technologies in their job, please visit the website www.iiot-network.eu.