The German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training ( BIBB ) has taken the decision to revise some of its training occupations. As Gesamtmetall (the Federation of German Employers’ Associations in the Metal and Electrical Engineering Industries) reports , the updated training regulations will comprise three main major changes. Firstly, the training program will be extended to cover the following new topics: the digitalization of work, data privacy, and information security. Secondly, the company-based training content and school-based course content will be updated to meet the requirements of Industry 4.0 processes. And thirdly, seven additional qualifications have been added, in such fields as additive manufacturing and process and system integration.

The social partners even took a modern approach to identifying the relevant future training needs, by using an ' agile process '. A joint team from Gesamtmetall, IG Metall, VDMA, and ZVEI analyzed the job profiles and ran workshops to gather expertise from science, companies, labor unions, and associations. The resulting recommendations for action now serve as a basis for consultation with other participating parties, such as the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the German chambers of commerce and industry. According to Gesamtmetall, the process facilitates an "extremely fast response to the challenges and rapid pace of change with regard to Industry 4.0 and digitalization."