COMPETÊNCIAS DIGITAIS PARA O MUNDO DO TRABALHO NA EDUCAÇÃO PROFISSIONAL E TECNOLÓGICA

Abstract

Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, brings with it the integration of advanced digital technologies – the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and cloud computing – into industrial processes, with the aim of automating, optimizing, and increasing efficiency. From this perspective, it is important to understand how much this has transformed the labor landscape, demanding a new professional profile endowed with robust digital competencies. These competencies refer to a set of skills necessary for the safe, critical, creative, and responsible use of technology, going far beyond technical application and involving pillars such as information management, communication, and content creation in the context of problem-solving. This exploratory and descriptive study sought to analyze the integration and development of these competencies in the educational pathways of Vocational and Technological Education (VTE). Through a survey design involving documentary and inferential analysis of articles, theses, and dissertations, the study aimed to map the required digital competencies and identify how VTE has incorporated them. The simulated results, grounded in the theoretical framework, indicate that, despite the recognition of its importance, the integration of digital skills in vocational and technological education (VTE) remains fragmented, prioritizing specific tools to the detriment of more complex skills, such as critical thinking. The main challenges include rapid technological obsolescence, the need for continuous training for faculty, and infrastructure disparities. However, VTE presents opportunities for innovation through active methodologies and strategic partnerships, with positive examples observed in initiatives in Ceará. It is concluded that VTE must transcend merely instrumental teaching, focusing on the integrated, critical, and contextualized development of digital skills, in order to train professionals suited to the job market, always considering the perspective of work as an educational principle