Key Enabling Technologies (KET) support the adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and are also considered the main drivers of the Circular Economy (CE) transition. In this respect, the guidelines and real use cases to inspire enterprises and industry to lead the twin digital and green transition are still poor. This work is aimed at contributing to this matter, with twofold goals: on the one hand, to show a depth desk-research analysis of the key existing policies at European level that foster this twin digital and green transition; on the other hand, to review practical use cases and international projects where CE practices are boosted through the implementation of KET. From the analysis, a set of recommendations are suggested as a guide for policymakers, researchers, and industry managers on how to foster the CE through the implementation of I4.0 technologies.

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The Industry 4.0 (I4.0) aims to develop a framework where the new technologies interoperate with each other and with employees, creating a smart and efficient environment. Although there are many public and private initiatives focused on boosting the deployment of I4.0 in all sectors worldwide, the adoption is slower than expected. One of the main reasons is the lack of training in those technologies involved in I4.0, the so-called key-enabling technologies (KET). In this article, the current status of I4.0 adoption from the industry, employees, and training point of view is analyzed. The lack of I4.0 competences in the curricula of vocational education training (VET) and higher education (HE) is also highlighted. Finally, the European innovative training action IN4WOOD is presented as a successful open and free training tool developed to offer students, employees, and managers an easy way to learn, use, and deploy KET of I4.0. Although the main target users of the training action are those in the furniture and woodworking sector, it has been designed to be useful also for users in other business sectors. The training tool is composed of more than 300 video learning pills, practical use cases, gamification, and evaluation test for measuring the level of knowledge acquired. The training tool has been tested in a pilot launched in four European countries. The results from the pilot prove that the IN4WOOD training helps to fill the skill gaps identified in the current VET/HE students and improves the competitiveness of employees, managers, and enterprises.