“A Digital Trainers Toolbox To Help Crane Operators Update Their Skills for Industry 4.0 Environments”
CRANE 4.0 is inspired by the Analytical Report “Improving the Human Capital Base” published by the European Commission’s European Construction Sector Observatory (ECSO, 2017), which calls for upgrading and retraining the European construction workforce with new skills to meet labor market demand for new digital skills. Only 45% of workers in the sector have participated in on-the-job training and the highly skilled workforce is only a small fraction of the total workforce in the EU construction sector. The application of virtual reality (VR) in VET and in work situations involving complex tasks facilitates the visualization of the activities to be performed, even the most risky ones, and the transmission of knowledge-intensive skills leading to higher quality training. The project focuses on crane operations precisely because they have a major influence on construction sites, especially in terms of efficiency and safety. With the increasing use of cranes, the number of crane-related accidents has grown enormously, and the participating countries are among the EU members with the highest rates of fatal accidents in the construction sector.
The project aims to improve work-based learning and initial/continuous learning of crane operators to adapt their knowledge to the skill requirements of Industry 4.0. Europe is currently experiencing the fourth industrial revolution impacting manufacturing and productivity with increased flexibility, customization and increased speed. Investment in new technologies, research and development can revitalize the competitiveness of companies in the construction sector. CRANE 4.0 will do this through the development of a Virtual Reality (VR) application downloadable from partner websites, from the project website and from major mobile app download platforms. The innovative use of VR in crane handling training is an added value for all those public and private VET providers who want to offer ways to improve the skills of their trainers and the training itself. In fact, CRANE 4.0 will not only develop the VR application, but also a set of tools and materials that will support the usability and transferability of the main products.
The CRANE 4.0 project is funded by the Erasmus+ program under Grant Agreement 2019-1-ES01-KA202-065956.