Institutional complementarities and technological transformation: analysing VET responsiveness in the context of Industry 4.0 skills needs and workforce development in the European steel industry

: Production and the way work is organized are progressively being transformed by digital technologies. In this paper, we explore the implications of such developments, often termed Industry 4.0, for workers through the lens of skill, and the skill needs developing out of a ‘shift’ in the technologies now being employed within the European steel industry. Specifically, we examine the preparedness of initial vocational training systems to support adaptation to Industry 4.0 and the changes in work and employment that will follow. We address such developments from the point of view of institutional theory, analysing how different institutional architectures influence responses to change.

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