The early education in universities set standards for the industry. Today it is the other way round. Digital transformation both in education and industry and massive cutting-edge automation have been the change agents. Industry 4.0 is reshaping the university education though many industries in India are yet to fully come to terms with industry 2.0 and 3.0. Ten major technologies have changed many sectors, especially manufacturing around the world. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), Cognitive Computing, Intelligent Apps, Virtual Reality (VR), 5G and DevOps.
There is no equipment that we use today that is discipline specific. Multi-disciplinary is the new code. Even the lead time from development to market has come down greatly. Whereas Telephone took 75 Years to develop, the Web took 7 Years, Facebook 4 Years, Instagram 2 Years, Chatbots 6 months and Pokémon Go only one Month. It is amazing to look back to 2006, when we did not have access to an iPhone, an iPad or Kindle the virtual library of more than 1.5 million books. We did not know 4G or Instagram or Snapchat or even WhatsApp that we so extensively use today. 5G was unavailable till last year.
Today’s skills have a shelf life. Students entering colleges now may end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. Today, new skills and improved cognitive abilities are required to succeed. Besides the technologies cited, abilities such as scaling IT infrastructures, cloud sourcing everything, reaching consensus on data and analytics, changing and connecting processes from production to management, analysing performances or KPIs and creating appropriate ecosystems, cooperating in multi-dimensional work places are all sought after skills.
Industry 4.0 creates an amazing hybrid of Internet of People (IoP) and Internet of Things (IoT). Hence, apart from technical skills, a student must possess abilities of complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, high emotional intelligence and coordination with others.
The influencers of this change are AI, globalisation of teams, and the social media. A high level of skilling, upskilling and continuous reskilling is needed today. Universities must shift to interactive and immersive components of teaching and learning that address personal learning needs. Since not everything can be taught, acquiring micro credentials or fractional credits is the future. Blended / Hybrid learning with cost effective options must be explored.
Industry 4.0 comprises Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS), with smart machines, storage systems and production facilities. They exchange information on the fly, triggering actions and control each other independently in applications such as manufacturing, engineering, material usage, supply chain and life cycle management.
The first industrial revolution used steam to generate power. whereas the second used gas to do the same. It also gave rise to telegraphs and railroads. The third or the digital revolution converted analogue systems to digital. The fourth industrial revolution, based on self-optimization and self-cognition, is customised automation of manufacturing processes and flexible mass production technologies. Like a student is at the centre in education 4.0, customer is the king in industry 4.0. Industry 5.0 is about ‘3P’ bottom-line. Profit-People-Planet.
In the early nineties, the Japanese auto manufacturers occupied the first seven positions among the top ten manufacturers of the world, out-beating giants of the time like Ford Motors, Chrysler and General Motors on cost-performance ratios. It was possible due to 90% outsourced manufacturing, to other countries. Digital manufacturing was the key. That disruption in the entire manufacturing supply chain is now transforming and evolving into industry 4.0.
Universities and the Technical Institutions, some of them built more than a hundred years back, need to now relook at their business. Adoption of technology and quality need investments. The faculty too must be trained with compulsory internships. With ChatGPT like Chatbots available now, Google will soon be timed out. The current generation is extremely agile and informed. In a world, where the industries are integrating the real and the virtual seamlessly, can the universities afford not to do so? It is now imperative that our universities and institutes add value to their business by collaborating with industries and the best from amongst themselves, lest they are ousted from their perch, with the entry of foreign university campuses and the digital / virtual avatars of future. Universities must accept and live with it. Reject and live without it, is no longer an option.