Shaping digital transformation

The “Digital Transformations” topic cluster has been assisting the “Digital Shift, Transformation and AI” Thinking Space by collating research results, experiences from practice, and ideas relating to the organisation of the ongoing shift in training and work. Having been forced to confront a more or less entirely new occupational and work structure, we will begin by looking at the issue of the development brought about by new technologies and organisational models over the past 10 years. Studies for America and the United Kingdom have forecast that almost half of occupations from 2010 would have disappeared; studies relating to Germany arrive at a figure of as much as a fifth. Actual occurrences on the labour market in recent years enable us to formulate an expectation, and we offer the prospect of a better set of indicators for identifying change.

We respond to the question of why change has taken place differently by looking at how employees have shaped digital technology and at the use of such technology by companies. Examples are used to make the essential challenges of the digital shift visible and to address the question of whether the significance of digital change has been recognised. We present specific examples to illustrate the opportunities available to employees to influence technology and the way in which it is deployed and to gain knowledge and also to highlight the chances that exist for companies within this context. This will be followed by a consideration of the issue of how trade and industry uses technology.

The plan is to provide a classification from a European perspective because, although digitalisation knows no borders, its implementation and structuring is approached differently at the regional level. We will undertake a joint discussion of the results, experiences and ideas, including against the background of the international categorisation, with a view to the further development of specific recommendations for vocational education and training.

This will enable projects from the “Digital Transformations” topic cluster at BIBB to have an input alongside external academics and company representatives. Such an approach will also allow us to address personnel from the fields of academic research, policy, practice and communication.