“Helping the Work Force Face the Challenges of IR 4.0”

This paper addresses the directions to follow when reforming educational systems and school-towork transition regimes to help the workforce face the challenges posed by industrial revolution (IR) 4.0. Although a high level of general education will be important for developing adaptability, it is not the only component to develop. Work-related skills, both general and job-specific, will be increasingly important and need, therefore, to be developed through on-the-job training. This will require important educational reforms to favor an ever-better integration between educational institutions and the world of work. Otherwise, young people and their families will be unable to adapt on their own to the new human capital requirements of production. A new framework for integrated action by governments, companies, educational institutions, and families is needed to smooth the school-to-work transition in the future. The duality principle is the basis for strongly diversifying education provision.