The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a Basis for Innovation Skills for Engineers in the Industry 4.0 Context

Abstract

Teaching methods for calculation and project development, focusing on theoretical principles and the reproduction of validated procedures, has been the traditional focus of engineering education. Innovation has been present in universities, mainly in the creation of processes and technologies for the development of products, services, or companies, based on entrepreneurship. Training in innovation has been limited to interested students, and not encouraged for all students, despite how relevant it is for current and future global development. According to the literature research and the opinion of the experts, this research identifies the characteristics of innovation that engineering students should acquire, in response to the challenges of engineering in the 21st century, considering as a basis the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the context of the increasingly demanding requirements of industry 4.0. The identification of the relevant aspects in innovation were categorized according to the expertise and academic performance of the authors. In addition to this, the investigation of the representative elements of Industry 4.0, and the incorporation of Sustainable Development Goals, establish the basis of this study to guide the development of innovation skills in the process of engineering student education. Furthermore, in order to integrate innovation skills, elements of Industry 4.0 and aspects of Sustainable Development Goals, the concept of competence is introduced, with a conceptual structure that considers knowledge, attitude and performance context, thus this research provides a conceptual framework for those interested in constructing innovation skills in engineering, oriented towards the development of an innovation culture and mentality, as part of the expected professional performance.

A Classification Analysis of the High and Low Levels of Global Competence of Secondary Students: Insights from 25 Countries/Regions

“…The enhancement of global competence helps students live harmoniously in multicultural communities, thrive in a changing labor market, effectively and responsibly use media platforms, and support Goal 4, quality education, of the Sustainable Development Goals [4][5][6]. With such benefits, global competence should be promoted as a normative education belief.…”

Strategy for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Competencies in Engineering Programs to Improve Students’ Learning and Quality of Education

“…Our research methodology is organised in two stages: (1) concepts and (2) case study. Figure 1 shows the stages and specifies the research tools and activities, along with the results of each stage.…”

“…Improving the quality of and access to education is one of the aspects present in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations [1]. Accordingly, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) suggests the need to foster structured processes to develop competencies in students that promote sustainable development [2].…”

Aspects regarding skills and education related to Industry 4.0

“…Although innovation skills are needed, which is also pointed out in [19] they are not passed on to students unless in a lesser extent. [34] Managers must also need to face the new model and challenges brought by I.4.0 concept -such as a better ability to communicate with customers in which they are seen as part of the factory, part of the production process, with implications for product customization, IT and production technologies adapted by supply chains [35] and that is why it is necessary to possess new skills in order to support innovative solutions. Also the Industry 4.0 concept require continuous innovation and education that are based on people's competencies /skills and on organizational culture [36].…”