Empowering STEM Students with Digital Skills: A Training Approach at UCN Industrial Playground

The nine pillars of Industry 4.0 reveal the need for digital skills in the future workforce. This paper comprehensively explains the UCN Industrial Playground generic and modular learning platform. The primary objective of this paper is to provide knowledge on how the learning environment motivates and empowers science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students to acquire digital skills for the optimization and automation of business processes. This also includes being able to make decisions that are supported by objective data. Central for the UCN Industrial Playground is producing and assembling 3D-printed cars and using four mobile applications dedicated to tracking and visualizing information flow, handling preventive maintenance, ware-house management, and equipment management. Collaborative robots and automated guided vehicles are also vital parts of the learning and training activities. This paper explains the didactic and pedagogical model and how digital skills are acquired through reflective, practice-based learning, hands-on training, and supervision. It relies on a case study exploring participants’ acquisition of digital skills based on formative and summative evaluations of participant reactions and learning objectives. The results can help educational practitioners unfold the potential of a learning factory outside of higher education.