A Guide for the Food Industry to Meet the Future Skills Requirements Emerging with Industry 4.0

Abstract

The food industry has recently faced rapid and constant changes due to the current industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, which has also profoundly altered the dynamics of the industry overall. Due to the emerging digitalisation, manufacturing models are changing through the use of smart technologies, such as robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, etc. They are experiencing a new phase of automation that enables innovative and more efficient processes, products and services. The introduction of these novel business models demands new professional skills requirements in the workforce of the food industry. In this work, we introduce an industry-driven proactive strategy to achieve a successful digital transformation in the food sector. For that purpose, we focus on defining the current and near-future key skills and competencies demanded by each of the professional profiles related to the food industry. To achieve this, we generated an automated database of current and future professions and competencies and skills. This database can be used as a fundamental roadmap guiding the sector through future changes caused by Industry 4.0. The interest shown by the local sectorial cluster and related entities reinforce the idea. This research will be a key tool for both academics and policy-makers to provide well-developed and better-oriented continuous training programs in order to reduce the skill mismatch between the workforce and the jobs.

Full text

foods
Article
A Guide for the Food Industry to Meet the Future
Skills Requirements Emerging with Industry 4.0
Tugce Akyazi 1, * , Aitor Goti 2, Aitor Oyarbide 1, Elisabete Alberdi 3and Felix Bayon 4
1Department of Mechanics, Design and Organisation, University of Deusto, 48007 Bilbao, Spain;
aitor.oyarbide@deusto.es
2Deusto Digital Industry Chair, Department of Mechanics, Design and Organisation, University of Deusto,
48007 Bilbao, Spain; aitor.goti@deusto.es
3Department of Applied Mathematics, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48013 Bilbao, Spain;
elisabete.alberdi@ehu.eus
4Sidenor Aceros Especiales, SLU, 48970 Bilbao, Spain; felix.bayon@sidenor.com
*Correspondence: tugceakyazi@deusto.es
Received: 18 March 2020; Accepted: 10 April 2020; Published: 14 April 2020

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Abstract:
The food industry has recently faced rapid and constant changes due to the current
industrial revolution, Industry 4.0, which has also profoundly altered the dynamics of the industry
overall. Due to the emerging digitalisation, manufacturing models are changing through the use of
smart technologies, such as robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), machine
learning, etc. They are experiencing a new phase of automation that enables innovative and
more efficient processes, products and services. The introduction of these novel business models
demands new professional skills requirements in the workforce of the food industry. In this work,
we introduce an industry-driven proactive strategy to achieve a successful digital transformation in
the food sector. For that purpose, we focus on defining the current and near-future key skills and
competencies demanded by each of the professional profiles related to the food industry. To achieve
this, we generated an automated database of current and future professions and competencies and
skills. This database can be used as a fundamental roadmap guiding the sector through future
changes caused by Industry 4.0. The interest shown by the local sectorial cluster and related entities
reinforce the idea. This research will be a key tool for both academics and policy-makers to provide
well-developed and better-oriented continuous training programs in order to reduce the skill mismatch
between the workforce and the jobs.
Keywords: skills; workforce; food industry; Industry 4.0; digitalisation
1. Introduction
The term “food industry” encompasses any company that produces, processes, manufactures,
sells and serves food, beverage and dietary supplements [
1
]. It refers to all stages of the process,
including design, construction, maintenance and delivery of solutions to the customer in the industry
of animal nutrition and the food industry (food and drink) [2].
In recent times, the food industry has gone through rapid and constant changes caused by
the recent industrial revolution, Industry 4.0. The term “Industry 4.0” has been used to refer to
the innovative production processes which are partly or completely automated via technology,
and devices communicating autonomously with each other along the value chain activities [
3
]. Thus,
it is basically based on intelligent networking of machines, electrical equipment and novel Information
Technology (IT) systems enabling processes optimisation and increased productivity of value creation
chains [
4
,
5
]. The digital transformation is the key element of the ongoing industrial revolution [
4
,
6
]. Here,
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Foods 2020,9, 492 2 of 15
the digitalisation concept does not refer to a simple transfer from “analogic” to digital data and
documents. It rather represents the networking between the created interfaces, the business processes,
the data exchange and management [
7
]. Therefore, rapidly growing digitalisation has been extremely
transforming the dynamics of most industries, including the food industry. The manufacturing
models are changing through the development of smart technologies such as advanced robotics, a new
generation of sensors, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning,
Cloud Computing, Machine to Machine (M2M) communication etc. The use of these key enabling
technologies (KETs) facilitates a new phase of automation that results in innovative and more efficient
processes, products and services. The aforementioned digital technologies could be ex novo applied to
a new plant, as well as can be adapted to existing plants [8].
Up to now, despite all the challenges, Industry 4.0 has been regarded as a great opportunity for
the progress of the food sector [
2
,
9
–
11
]. There have been successful attempts to keep up with the
next industrial revolution. Technological developments have enabled higher efficiency rates during
the manufacturing stage and lower production costs, thus, generating products with greater added
value, which is critically important when there is a high level of competition among manufacturers [
9
].
Moreover, food security has recently been a great concern and food safety has been a top priority
internationally. IoT technology, one of the key technologies of Industry 4.0, has been proven to be
a solution to this concern, as it allows to identify the product and provides its traceability from
cultivation to the production chain during food processing [
10
]. It was also demonstrated that the
adoption of Industry 4.0 within the food supply chain environment of the food sector could contribute
immensely to the achievement of sustainability [
11
]. The integration of more 4.0 technologies such as
AI, Big Data, Machine Learning, M2M (and others mentioned in the previous paragraph) will lead to a
faster industrial transformation in the food sector. It will change the business abruptly, facilitating the
production of higher quality food products in a shorter time and at a lower cost.
The main condition for defining the expected evolution of skills requirements is to draw a general
portrait of the future food industry by clarifying the industrial changes brought up by Industry 4.0.
First of all, thanks to the real-time data provided by the smart and automated production systems,
the workers will be able to make more accurate decisions in a short time, dealing with complex
situations in the near future. Due to the advanced robotics technology, simple and monotonous tasks
will be taken by collaborative robotic systems while operators carry out more qualified work and make
critical decisions [
12
]. Concurrently, the significance of human intervention in the maintenance and
supervision of machines will increase [
12
]. Industrial organisations will become more team-oriented
due to the integration of artificial intelligence tools, and the traditional top-down hierarchal structures
will lose strength. Teamwork between co-workers as well as between workers and assistant systems
will be more and more important [
13
]. In general, the job profiles will be demanded to carry out tasks
with a much broader scope. Therefore, the workers will be expected to have a wider knowledge and
expertise in several subjects [12].
The main observed consequence of the mentioned technological changes is the fast-growing
demand for technological skills [
12
,
14
,
15
]. They include basic digital skills as well as advanced
technological skills, such as programming [
14
]. Additionally, awareness of data security and data
protection will gain more importance as a result of this demand [
12
]. The demand for social and
emotional skills (which the machines are a long way from learning) will also rapidly increase due
to the adoption of the advanced technologies [
12
,
14
] As stated, due to the increasing automation
and digitalisation of industrial processes, the workforce will be responsible for more complex tasks.
The execution of those tasks will require numeracy, solid literacy, problem-solving, and information
and communication technologies (ICT) skills as well as soft skills of autonomy, collaboration and
coordination [15,16].
Demand for cognitive skills will be mainly altered from basic to higher ones; the increasing
automation of machines will decrease the amount of the tasks that demand basic cognitive skills (such as

Foods 2020,9, 492 3 of 15
basic data processing) [
14
]. Higher cognitive skills, such as creativity, critical thinking, teamwork,
problem-solving, decision-making, lifelong learning, and so on will become very crucial [12,14].
Furthermore, skills such as managing complexity, complex information processing and abstraction
for obtaining a simplified representation of the bigger picture will be demanded from the near future
workforce [
15
]. Skills such as decision making, critical thinking and independent problem solving
will be considered crucial especially in reviewed technical profiles, such as production operators and
control technicians [
12
]. Moreover, the demand for managerial, communication and organisational
skills will increase significantly [12,15].
The required physical and manual skills for the job profiles will be redefined depending on the
range of automated work activities. In general, the demand for physical and manual skills will also
drop, but it will still remain the largest category of workforce skills in the near future [14].
Green skills are considered key to maintain the competitive edge of the European manufacturing
industry as a result of the increased focus on environmental awareness and sustainability. Therefore,
in the near future in Europe, the workforce (including the food industry) will be expected to master
green skills.
Overall, as a result of Industry 4.0, the near-future workforce is expected to have more accentuated
social, emotional, higher cognitive and technological skills, than basic cognitive, physical and manual
skills [
14
]. The general trend points to a greater need for technological knowledge and less administrative
and technical knowledge.
In conclusion, the food industry demands new professional skills from its workforce. Therefore,
there is a high demand for a continuous update of the qualifications, skills and knowledge of its
workforce in order to create a highly qualified, multi-skilled labor force that can handle all the
technological progress [
17
,
18
]. Through this updating process, the food industry workforce of today
and tomorrow, will be able to adapt to digital transformations, changes in production processes and
newly introduced working practices and patterns of which are mostly connected with computer
sciences [
19
,
20
]. Addressing the current skill needs and foreseeing the future skill requirements of the
sector is the first step of the continuous skills update of its workforce. In this work, we have achieved
this through the generation of a sectorial database. After that, a strategy should be developed for
reducing the skills gaps between the jobs and the workforce. It should involve not only attracting and
developing the new talents needed, but also re-skilling current employees through well-organised
training and education programs, as well as re-designing work processes [3].
The food industry has been lacking a specific roadmap that guides the sector through the industrial
revolution 4.0. The sector urgently needs a strategy for establishing and meeting current and future
skills requirements. Therefore, the food industry needs to develop tools for implementing new skills
and competences, for which reviewing the approaches already taken by the other sectors (construction,
steel, automotive, etc.) would be very beneficial. Additionally, the sector needs to identify directives for
education policy-makers, so that related degrees, subject syllabuses, and continuous training programs
become aligned with these skills needs. Our work is developed in order to fill this gap. In this work,
we firstly introduced a strategy adapted from several European sectorial projects to meet the future
skills requirements and create a highly qualified and competent workforce. After, we focused on
identifying the current and near-future key skills and competencies demanded by the professional
profiles (engineers, operators and managers) of the food industry. We used ESCO’s (European Skills,
Competences, Qualifications and Occupations) research as the main source for identifying the current
food sector-related job profiles and needed skills for each profile. Then we generated an automated
database for the current skills of these profiles using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in the excel
format. During the development of the future skills and competences, we analysed all the job profiles
present at the database one by one and we selected the ones which will be transformed by digital
technological developments. We benefited from respectable European references through collecting
data from the European ICT Professional Role Profiles framework and several strategic sectorial and
inter-sectorial European projects. After identifying the additional skills that will be needed for each

Foods 2020,9, 492 4 of 15
profile in the near future, we added them to our database and completed the update for the near-future
skills requirements for the job profiles. Ultimately, we generated an automated database for current and
future skills requirements for each professional profile, which can be used as a fundamental framework
by the food sector through all the midterm-future changes caused by Industry 4.0. Therefore, the target
end-users of the developed database are the companies of the food sector, the training centers and
universities that are responsible for designing and delivering convenient training programs to provide
the aforementioned skills needs.
We believe that our work will be a key tool providing guidelines to the food industry to build a
workforce meeting the future skills requirements and guiding the sector leaders as well as the academia
to offer better oriented and well-developed continuous training programs.
2. Materials and Methods
In this chapter, first of all, we present a strategy for the food industry to meet the current and
future skills requirements in order to overcome the challenges coming with Industry 4.0, make good
use of digitalisation and keep up with the latest technological innovations.
The activities encompassed by this long-term skills strategy should focus on making the workforce
pro-active to the implementation of new technologies that help to optimize food manufacturing and
increase efficiency. In order to reduce the time required for the full digital transformation process, these
activities should constantly supervise the implementation of industrial skills in training programs and
develop the required tools for that implementation [20–22].
The industry-driven proactive strategy should involve the next steps in order to achieve a
successful digital transformation in the industry:
1.
The first step is evaluating the current state of the digital transformation of the food industry [
20
],
and analysing the key trends about the upcoming technological developments [
21
]. After
identifying the main technological developments and the related required skills and competencies,
a future scenario can be developed. Economic development related to digital transformations
should be also considered [
11
,
20
]. The manufacturing processes and workforce that are affected
by the digital transformation will be determined.
2.
This step involves identifying the skills and professional job profiles that will be needed in the
future and determining the skills gaps that are created by the current and the foreseen technological
developments [
20
,
21
]. The most crucial part of this step is to identify the skills demands of the
industry in proactive ways, taking skills gaps and shortages into account [
20
]. An automated
database of the sector-related job profiles defining the needed skills and competencies will be
generated. It will enable an internationally common ground and mutual recognition for the
needed skills and jobs in the food industry.
3.
As the next step, the training and curricula requirements will be determined considering the skills
gaps, and then, the training programs will be created for the selected skills and job profiles [
21
].
New methods should be discovered to implement education content in a rapid and effective way,
not only in the companies but also in the formal education and training institutions. Training
programs should be upgraded and updated continuously to reach a higher quality [
20
]. Talent
management and recruitment processes should be also included in the training process [20].
4.
Better matching between skill requirements of the food industry and skills provided by training
centers will be assured [
21
]. New standards will be developed for the sector skills recognition [
20
].
5.
The next step will be finding out new methods to attract more talented people to the food
industry and improve the opportunities for a more diverse talent pool, and overcome recruitment
challenges [20–22].
6.
The final step is called monitoring. All the adjustments coming with the strategy will be monitored
continuously to adopt upcoming new developments [9].
This work involves the first two steps of the strategy.

Foods 2020,9, 492 5 of 15
During the execution of our work, to develop the database presented herein, we used the ESCO
database and the European ICT Professional Role Profiles framework (generated by the Council of
European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS) and European Committee for Standardization
(CEN)) as the main data sources. We also took several strategic sectorial and inter-sectorial European
projects as a reference, in some of which we directly took part or acted as collaborators: ESSA
(steel sector) [
20
], DRIVES (automotive sector) [
21
], APPRENTICESHIPQ (Procedures for Quality
Apprenticeships in Educational Organisations) [
22
] and SMeART ((Digitalization of Small and Medium
Enterprises, SMEs) [
23
]. Therefore, it is compulsory to give definitions of the references in order to clarify
our study. ESCO is the European multilingual classification of Skills, Competences, Qualifications
and Occupations. In other words, it is a dictionary that describes, identifies and classifies professional
occupations, skills, and qualifications relevant for the labor market, education and training [
24
].
It is directly linked to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) which is a
classification of occupation groups managed by the International Labor Organization (ILO), since the
information and data in ESCO are based on an original work published by the ILO under the title
“International Standard Classification of Occupations”, ISCO-08. CEPIS is a non-profit organisation
seeking to improve and promote a high standard among informatics professionals in recognition of the
impact that informatics has on employment, business and society [
25
]. CEN is an association that brings
together the National Standardisation Bodies of 34 European countries supporting standardisation
activities in relation to a wide range of fields and sectors [
26
]. The European ICT Professional Role
Profiles framework was generated with the help of these two organisations in order to contribute to a
shared European reference language for developing, planning and managing ICT professional needs
in a long-term perspective and to maturing the ICT profession overall [27].
Additionally, during the generation of the automated database for the job profiles, VBA was used
as the programming language in Microsoft Word Excel file.
3. Results and Discussion
Our aim was to generate an automated database for skill requirements (current and near-future)
for all the professional profiles related to the food sector.
We based our work on ESCO’s research using it as the main source for identifying the current
sector-related job profiles and needed skills for each profile. First, we selected the professional profiles
related to the food industry in the ESCO database which is in word excel format. Once all the
sector-related job profiles were extracted and integrated into a new excel file, the automation process
was carried out using VBA and an automated database was generated in the excel format. This database
included only the current skills needs of the job profiles.
During the development of the future skills and competences, we collected data from the
European ICT Professional Role Profiles framework and benefited from several strategic sectorial
and inter-sectorial European projects. In order to incorporate the near-future skills requirements of
the job profiles into the database, we studied all the job profiles one by one and selected the ones
which will be transformed by the digital technological developments. During this process, we used
the aforementioned European projects as a guide to analyse what kind of job profiles related to these
sectors (steel, automotive, smart engineering etc.) have undergone modification through digital
transformation. We observed that job profiles that have common roles in all of the industrial areas
(food, steel, automotive, etc.), such as project manager, production manager etc. will need the same
kind of modifications in their skills requirements in the future. For that purpose, we identified job
profiles in the food industry with equivalent roles in other sectors that have already undergone changes,
and we selected their future skills requirements. Later, we also identified future skills needs for
profiles that are specific to the food industry through a detailed analysis. Then, we added the new
skills and competencies to our database and updated the needed skills for the altered job profiles.
Furthermore, the European ICT Professional Role Profiles framework provided us the specific job
profiles of which skills have undergone changes through Industry 4.0 as well as the additional skills

Foods 2020,9, 492 6 of 15
that will be required by these profiles in the near future. We added the mentioned future skills of
the professional profiles that were already present in our database and completed the update for
the near-future skills requirements for the job profiles. Figure 1demonstrates an example tab of the
generated database for the food industry. In this specific case, the ‘food grader’ professional profile
is used as an example. The first four rows of the table show a hierarchical order of the occupational
groups; in this case, the job profile ‘food grader’ belongs to the ‘Food and beverage tasters and graders’
group, which is a part of the bigger occupation group ‘Food processing and related trades workers’,
and so on. The database also provides a weblink to ESCO’s webpage where we can find all the
introduced data related to the job profile. In the table, we can also see alternative names used for
the same job profile in food sector and the ISCO number of the profile, which can be interpreted as
an international code of the occupation for the International Standard Classification of Occupations
(ISCO). Additionally, the table shows the essential and optional knowledge and skills currently needed
for the job profile, as well as the future skills that we introduced after a detailed analysis.
The skills that are currently demanded by the food sector and extracted from the ESCO database
are in black, while the future skills (essential and optional) that are generated with the help of ICT
Professional Role Profiles framework European Union sectoral projects and several other sources are in
red. The complete version of the table (Figure 1) is provided in Figure S1 in Supplementary Materials.
Since this is an automated database, we can call it a smart table. For example, in the excel table of
Figure 1, when a job profile is introduced in the cell related to the professional job profile (changing
‘food grader’ to another profile), all the data related to the new profile appears automatically in the
table, replacing the information related to the ‘food grader’ profile. The automation of the database
allows us to reach the current and future skill needs of any professional profile immediately. This
makes the database a very functional tool during the development of the training programs.
Tables 1–3present a brief view of the last version of the automated database: the professional
job profiles related to the food industry, their definition, ISCO numbers and the key skills demanded
by these job profiles. All the data here is provided by ESCO. Table 4demonstrates our contribution
to the database: future skills requirements demanded by the mentioned job profiles. These newly
introduced skills are mainly transversal and technological ones generated by Industry 4.0 and they are
highlighted in the red colour since they represent our addition to the database. We used 7 job profiles
as an example. The complete version of the documents, Tables 1–3, can be found in the Supplementary
Materials as Figures S2–S4 respectively.

Foods 2020,9, 492 7 of 15
Foods 2020, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of 15
Craft and related trades workers
Food processing, wood working, garment and other craft and related trades workers
Food processing and related trades workers
Food and beverage tasters and graders
Professional Job profile: food grader
ESCO link: http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/b4306d87-7992-47fc-914a-4485a4e7003c
Alternative labels: food product grader
Description: Food graders inspect, sort and grade food products. They grade food products according to sensory criteria
or with the help of machinery. They determine the product’s use by grading them into the appropriate classes and
discarding damaged or expired foods. Food graders measure and weigh the products and report their findings so the food
can be further processed.
ISCO number: 7515
Essential
knowledge
food preservation
food product ingredients
food safety standards
risks associated to physical, chemical, biological hazards in food and beverages
skill/competence
apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
assess nutritional characteristics of food
keep up-to-date with regulations
perform food risk analysis
perform food safety checks
perform sensory evaluation
prepare visual data
skill/competence
-
Optional
knowledge
-
skill/competence
advise on food preservation
analyse samples of food and beverages
apply scientific methods
develop standard operating procedures in the food chain
Future skills
Essential
data analysis and mathematical skills
quantitive and statistical skills
basic digital skills
cybersecurity
inspecting and monitoring skills
use of digital communication tools
critical thinking and decision making
adaptability and continuous learning
complex information processing and interpretation
IoT technology
collaborative/autonomous robots
big data
cloud computing
sensors technology
machine learning
traceability
Optional
adaptability and continious learning
teaching and training the others
active listening
process analysis
Figure 1. An example tab of the automated database generated for the job profiles in the food industry.
Figure 1.
An example tab of the automated database generated for the job profiles in the food industry.

Foods 2020,9, 492 8 of 15
Table 1.
A brief view of the automated database (in excel format) including the description, alternative names and ISCO numbers of the professional profiles related to
the food industry.
ESCO
Occupation
Food Production
Manager
Food Production
Operator
Food Safety
Specialist
Food & Beverage
Packaging
Technologist
Food Production Engineer Food Analyst Food Technician
web link to
ESCO
http://data.europa.eu/
esco/occupation/
a7d6a377-3d3b-41cf-9301-
f4a0a7ad3d96
http://data.europa.eu/
esco/occupation/
e3dc66de-99c7-4607-
a82b-7244036d316d
http://data.europa.eu/
esco/occupation/
00ab5610-e715-428f-
99f6-b1e5e469dbcd
http://data.europa.eu/
esco/occupation/
8a925aca-f636-437c-
8962-5deae170e246
http://data.europa.eu/esco/
occupation/2f26a52b-cf45-
4282-9138-478252161f00
http://data.europa.eu/
esco/occupation/
33fe4c90-c4fd-4860-
bdc5-24fcab16f45a
http:
//data.europa.eu/esco/
occupation/afee6a28-f654-
4ac7-a665-f758616bc689
Alternative
labels no alternative labels
food production
operative//food
production
worker//food
manufacturing
worker//food worker
food production
quality
controller//trainee
food safety
specialist//food safety
controller//senior food
safety specialist//food
scientist//food safety
monitor// . . .
food and beverage
packaging
expert//food and
beverage packaging
specialist//food and
drinks packaging
technologist//food and
drinks packaging
expert
food engineer
food researcher//food
research
specialist//food
analysis expert//food
analysis specialist
food tech expert//food
technology expert//food
technology
specialist//food tech
specialist
Description
Food production
managers oversee and
monitor production and
have overall responsibility
for staffing and related
issues. Hence, they have a
detailed knowledge of the
manufacturing products
and their production
processes. On the one
hand, they control process
parameters and their
influence on the product
and on the other hand,
they ensure that staffing
and recruitment levels are
adequate.
Food production
operators supply and
perform one or more
tasks in different
stages of the food
production process.
They perform
manufacturing
operations and
processes to foods and
beverages, perform
packaging, operate
machines manually or
automatically, follow
predetermined
procedures, and take
food safety
regulations on board.
Food safety specialists
organise processes
and implement
procedures to avoid
problems with food
safety. They comply
with regulations.
Food and beverage
packaging
technologists assess
appropriate packaging
for various food
products. They
manage matters in
relation to packaging
while ensuring
customer
specifications and
company targets.
They develop
packaging projects as
required.
Food production engineers
oversee the electrical and
mechanical needs of the
equipment and machinery
required in the process of
manufacturing food or
beverages. They strive to
maximise plant productivity
by engaging in preventive
actions in reference to
health and safety, good
manufacturing practices
(GMP), hygiene compliance,
and performance of routine
maintenance of machines
and equipment.
Food analysts perform
standardised tests to
determine the
chemical, physical, or
microbiological
features of products
for human
consumption.
Food technicians assist
food technologists in the
development of processes
for manufacturing
foodstuffs and related
products based on
chemical, physical, and
biological principles.
They perform research
and experiments on
ingredients, additives and
packaging. Food
technicians also check
product quality to ensure
compliance with
legislation and
regulations.
ISCO
Number 1321 8160 2263 2141 2141 3111 3119

Foods 2020,9, 492 9 of 15
Table 2.
A brief view of the automated database (in excel format) including essential skills, knowledge and competences needed by the professional profiles related to
the food industry.
Food Production Manager Food Production
Operator
Food Safety
Specialist
Food & Beverage
Packaging Technologist Food Production Engineer Food Analyst Food Technician
essential essential essential essential essential essential essential
knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge
financial capability food safety principles food legislation packaging engineering electrical engineering food safety principles food and beverage industry
food and beverage industry
food preservation packaging functions electronics food safety standards food preservation
food legislation food storage packaging processes food storage food science food product ingredients
quality assurance
methodologies
product package
requirements
quality assurance
methodologies food toxicity functional properties of foods
types of packaging
materials laboratory-based sciences processes of foods and
beverages manufacturing
skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence
analyse production
processes for improvement
administer ingredients
in food production
control food safety
regulations
analyse packaging
requirements apply GMP analyse characteristics of
food products at reception apply GMP
analyse trends in the food
and beverage industries apply GMP develop food safety
programmes apply GMP apply HACCP analyse samples of food and
beverages apply HACCP
apply control process
statistical methods apply HACCP evaluate retail food
inspection findings apply HACCP
apply requirements
concerning manufacturing
of food and beverages
apply GMP
apply requirements concerning
manufacturing of food and
beverages
apply HACCP be at ease in unsafe
environments keep task records care for food aesthetic configure plants for food
industry
apply requirements
concerning manufacturing of
food and beverages
clean food and beverage
machinery
apply requirements
concerning manufacturing
of food and beverages
carry out checks of
production plant
equipment
maintain personal
hygiene standards
identify innovative
concepts in packaging
develop food production
processes
assess nutritional
characteristics of food
ensure public safety and
security
communicate production
plan
clean food and
beverage machinery
monitor packaging
operations
keep up with innovations
in food manufacturing
disaggregate the
production plan
assess quality characteristics
of food products
identify the factors causing
changes in food during storage
control of expenses disassemble equipment
plan inspections for
prevention of
sanitation violations
manage packaging
development cycle from
concept to launch
disassemble equipment attend to detail regarding
food and beverages
manage all process engineering
activities
ensure cost efficiency in
food manufacturing
ensure refrigeration of
food in the supply chain
prepare reports on
sanitation
manage packaging
material
keep up with innovations
in food manufacturing blend food ingredients manage delivery of raw
materials
identify hazards in the
workplace ensure sanitation take action on food
safety violations monitor filling machines keep up-to-date with
regulations
calibrate laboratory
equipment manage packaging material
implement short term
objectives
follow production
schedule train employees monitor packaging
operations
manage all process
engineering activities collect samples for analysis monitor freezing processes

Foods 2020,9, 492 10 of 15
Table 3.
A brief view of the automated database (in excel format) including optional skills, knowledge and competences needed by the professional profiles related to
the food industry.
Food Production Manager Food Production
Operator
Food Safety
Specialist
Food & Beverage Packaging
Technologist
Food Production
Engineer Food Analyst Food Technician
optional optional optional optional optional optional optional
knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge
food safety standards centrifugal force cold chain food safety principles food and beverage
industry
fermentation processes of
food
cleaning of reusable
packaging
legislation about animal
origin products
cleaning of reusable
packaging food homogenisation food safety standards food homogenisation food homogenisation combination of flavours
condiment
manufacturing processes food policy food science food preservation food legislation combination of textures
fermentation processes of
food
general principles of
food law ingredient threats food safety standards food products composition
fermentation processes of
beverages
food canning production
line
risks associated to physical,
chemical, biological hazards in
food and beverages
risks associated to physical,
chemical, biological hazards
in food and beverages
fermentation processes of
food
skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence skill/competence
adapt production levels adjust drying process to
goods
analyse samples of
food and beverages
assess HACCP implementation
in plants
analyse work-related
written reports
analyse packaging
requirements
adjust production
schedule
advocate for consumer
matters in production plants
administer materials to
tea bag machines assess food samples detect microorganisms assess HACCP
implementation in plants
analyse trends in the food
and beverage industries
administer ingredients in
food production
apply foreign language for
international trade
apply different
dehydration processes of
fruits and vegetables
audit HACCP develop new food products be at ease in unsafe
environments
analyse work-related written
reports
analyse packaging
requirements
assess environmental plans
against financial costs
apply extruding
techniques develop food policy develop standard operating
procedures in the food chain
ensure compliance with
environmental legislation
in food production
apply scientific methods
analyse production
processes for
improvement
ensure continuous
preparedness for audits
apply preservation
treatments
ensure correct goods
labelling ensure correct goods labelling ensure full functioning of
food plant machinery
assess environmental
parameters at the workplace
for food products
analyse work-related
written reports
hire new personnel check bottles for
packaging
monitor sugar
uniformity
keep up-to-date with
regulations food plant design assess food samples apply control process
statistical methods
lead process optimisation check quality of products
on the production line
use instruments for
food measurement label foodstuffs
lead process optimisation
assess shelf life of food
products
apply food technology
principles
manage medium-term
objectives conduct cleaning in place participate in the development
of new food products
write work-related
reports
check quality of products on
the production line
be at ease in unsafe
environments
manage staffdispose food waste interpret extraction data detect microorganisms calibrate laboratory
equipment

Foods 2020,9, 492 11 of 15
Table 4. A brief view of the automated database (in excel format) including the future skills requirements of professional profiles related to the food industry.
Food Production
Manager Food Production Operator Food Safety
Specialist
Food & Beverage Packaging
Technologist Food Production Engineer Food Analyst Food Technician
future skills future skills future skills future skills future skills future skills future skills
essential essential essential essential essential essential essential
advanced
communication and
negotiation skills
advanced data analysis and
mathematical skills
data analysis and
mathematical skills basic digital skills basic digital skills data analysis and
mathematical skills
advanced data analysis
and mathematical skills
leadership and
managing others
use of complex digital
communication tools
quantitive and
statistical skills
advanced data analysis and
mathematical skills
advanced data analysis and
mathematical skills
quantitive and statistical
skills
use of complex digital
communication tools
adaptability and
continuous learning
Interpersonal skills and
empathy basic digital skills cybersecurity advanced IT skills &
Programming basic digital skills Interpersonal skills and
empathy
critical thinking &
decision making
adaptability and
continuous learning cybersecurity use of complex digital
communication tools
use of complex digital
communication tools cybersecurity adaptability and
continuous learning
personal experience teaching and training
others
inspecting and
monitoring skills
advanced IT skills &
programming cybersecurity inspecting and
monitoring skills
teaching and training
others
active listening active listening use of digital
communication tools
entrepreneurship and
initiative taking
advanced communication
skills
use of digital
communication tools active listening
work autonomously basic numeracy and
communication
critical thinking and
decision making
adaptability and continuous
learning
leadership and managing
others
critical thinking and
decision making
basic numeracy and
communication
quantitative and
statistical skills
basic data input and
processing
adaptability and
continious learning
critical thinking & decision
making
entrepreneurship and
initiative taking
adaptability and
continious learning
basic data input and
processing
complex information
processing and
interpretation
advanced literacy
complex information
processing and
interpretation
basic numeracy and
communication
adaptability and continuous
learning
complex information
processing and
interpretation
advanced literacy
prcess analysis
complex information
processing and
interpretation
process analysis basic data input and
processing teaching and training others process analysis
complex information
processing and
interpretation
creativity process analysis initiative taking advanced literacy critical thinking & decision
making initiative taking process analysis
complex problem
solving creativity advanced IT skills &
Programming
auantitative and statistical
skills active listening advanced IT skills &
Programming creativity
basic digital skills complex problem solving traceability complex information
processing and interpretation
complex information
processing and interpretation
traceability complex problem solving
advanced data
analysis and
mathematical skills
IoT adaptability and
continuous learning process analysis process analysis adaptability and
continuous learning IoT
cybersecurity Manufacturing Execution
System (MES) IoT technology creativity creativity
collaborative/autonomous
robots
Manufacturing Execution
System (MES)

Foods 2020,9, 492 12 of 15
Table 4. Cont.
Food Production
Manager Food Production Operator Food Safety
Specialist
Food & Beverage Packaging
Technologist Food Production Engineer Food Analyst Food Technician
use of complex digital
communication tools traceability cloud computing complex problem solving complex problem solving IoT technology traceability
advanced IT skills &
programming cybersecurity big data traceability traceability big data cybersecurity
interpersonal skills
and empathy cloud computing sensors technology collaborative/autonomous
robots
collaborative/autonomous
robots cloud computing cloud computing
entrepreneurship and
initiative taking big data machine learning IoT technology IoT technology sensors technology big data
Manufacturing
Execution System
(MES)
collaborative/autonomous
robots
collaborative/autonomous
robots big data big data machine learning
collaborative/autonomous
robots
IoT technology cloud computing cloud computing
cloud computing sensors technology sensors technology
big data augmented reality
machine learning machine learning
deep learning
optional optional optional optional optional optional optional
adaptability and
continuous learning personal experience personal experience personal experience interpersonal skills and
empathy personal experience personal experience
training and teaching
others initiative taking active listening teaching and training others personal experience active listening initiative taking
sensors technology augmented reality work autonomously work autonomously work autonomously teaching and training the
others augmented reality
collaborative/autonomous
robots machine learning augmented reality active listening quantitative and statistical
skills augmented reality machine learning
traceability interpersonal skills and
empathy
basic data input and
processing
machine learning
augmented reality

Foods 2020,9, 492 13 of 15
4. Conclusions
Having a qualified workforce that can handle the growing technology is the major key condition
for the food industry to overcome the big industrial revolution challenge. It can only be achieved
through addressing the current skill needs and foreseeing future skill requirements of the sector and
providing the most convenient training and education programs to reduce the skills gaps between the
workforce and the industry needs.
In this work, firstly, we introduced an industry-driven proactive strategy adapted from several
European sectorial projects to achieve a successful digital transformation for the food industry. It can
serve the sector as a guideline to meet future skills requirements.
Our work aimed to address the near-future changes in the professional skill requirements of the
food industry facing Industry 4.0. In this framework, each job profile related to the food industry in
the ESCO database was analysed, whether they will undergo a change due to digitalisation or not.
Then, based on the obtained answer, the skills requirements of each profile are updated depending on
the range of automation of their work activities. Moreover, we identified the qualifications demanded
by each professional job profile benefiting from highly acceptable European sources.
We generated an automated database for skills requirements (current and near-future) for the
professional profiles related to the food industry, which can be used as a fundamental framework by the
sector through all the midterm-future changes caused by Industry 4.0. Finally, it is worth mentioning
that the obtained results have raised the interest of the Basque Food Cluster.
For all these reasons, we believe that our work can be a sectorial and academic guideline to prepare
convenient and well-developed training programs to deliver the needed skills. Applying the successful
training programs created through the food industry—academia collaboration, the gap between what
is expected by the industry and what is delivered by the workforce will be bridged. The food industry
will win over the new talents who gain the required specific qualifications and full expertise of the
sector through these specific training programs. The training of current employees in the sector will
cause the food industry to keep up with the industrial changes and global competitiveness. Therefore,
the workforce with updated qualifications will increase the production efficiency of the sector.
The food industry is always searching for new projects and lines of investigation, with a special
focus on those concerning the sector’s digitalisation. A major part of these researches would be
ideally wider versions of our work; they would include training and educational programs created to
deliver the demanded industrial skill requirements which were addressed by our research. Therefore,
we believe that our work can be used as a roadmap for the next generation of projects in this area.
Supplementary Materials:
The following are available online at http://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/4/492/s1,
Figure S1: an example tab of the automated database generated for the job profiles in the food industry, Figure S2:
a brief view of the automated database (in excel format) including the description, alternative names and ISCO
numbers of the professional profiles related to the food industry, Figure S3: a brief view of the automated database
(in excel format) including essential skills, knowledge and competences needed by the professional profiles related
to the food industry., Figure S4: a brief view of the automated database (in excel format) including optional skills,
knowledge and competences needed by the professional profiles related to the food industry.
Author Contributions:
T.A. and A.G., writing, conceptualisation, methodology and investigation; A.O. and F.B.,
methodology and E.A., conceptualisation and investigation. All authors have read and agreed to the published
version of the manuscript.
Funding:
This research was co-funded by Fundaci
ó
n BBK–BBK fundazioa, partner of the Deusto Digital
Industry Chair.
Acknowledgments:
The research described in the present paper was developed within the project entitled
“Blueprint “New Skills Agenda Steel”: Industry-driven sustainable European Steel Skills Agenda and Strategy
(ESSA)” and is based on a preliminary deliverable of this project. The ESSA project is funded by Erasmus
Plus Programme of the European Union, Grant Agreement No 2018-3019/001-001, Project No. 600886-1-2018-1-
DE-EPPKA2-SSA-B. The sole responsibility of the issues treated in the present paper lies with the authors; the
Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The authors
wish to acknowledge with thanks the European Union for the opportunity granted that has made possible the
development of the present work. The authors also wish to thank all partners of the project for their support and
the fruitful discussion that led to successful completion of the present work.

Foods 2020,9, 492 14 of 15
Conflicts of Interest:
The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the
study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to
publish the results.
Abbreviations
AI Artificial Intelligence
IoT Internet of Things
ESCO European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations
CEPIS Council of European Professional Informatics Societies
CEN European Committee for Standardization
ESSA
Blueprint “New Skills Agenda Steel”: Industry-driven sustainable European Steel
Skills Agenda and Strategy
DRIVES Development and Research on Innovative Vocational Educational Skills
APPRENTICESHIPQ Mainstreaming Procedures for Quality Apprenticeships in Educational
Organisations and Enterprises
SMeART Knowledge Alliance for Upskilling Europe’s SMES to Meet the Challenges of
Smart Engineering
SMEs Small and Medium Enterprises
ISCO International Standard Classification of Occupations
ILO International Labor Organization
ICT Information and communications technology
VBA Visual Basic for Applications
HACCP Hazard analysis and critical control points
GMP Good manufacturing practice
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2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
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