AI Education for Tomorrow's Workforce: Leveraging Learning Factories for AI Education and Workforce Preparedness

Industry 4.0 marks a significant change in the business world, brought about by technologies like automation, IoT, AI, smart factories, and cyber-physical systems. Industry 5.0, on the other hand, prioritizes worker well-being and emphasizes human-centric approaches in manufacturing. While these revolutions offer improved productivity, sustainability, and resilience, integrating them presents challenges, particularly in securing a skilled workforce adept in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Higher education institutions (HEIs) are critical in addressing this need by updating their curricula and enhancing their infrastructure. The boundaries between industries are becoming less distinct due to digital technologies, which means that education needs to adjust to changing requirements. The use of AI tools in education has become a driving force in transforming learning experiences, fostering creativity, and getting people ready for the era of digitalization. This paper explores how Learning Factories (LFs) can serve as a means for AI education, focusing on existing white- and blue-collar workers who primarily benefit from tools like LFs for reskilling and upskilling, as well as prospective workers such as university graduates who can acquire the necessary skills through these factories before entering the workforce.