Danish AM Hub has received DKK 2.1 million in funding from the Tietgen Foundation for the project Skilled Workers 4.0, which will provide vocational school students with new skills in digital production, advanced 3D printing, bio-based materials and hands-on innovation.
The project will develop new teaching modules in which technology, design methods and circular thinking are integrated into the curriculum. The aim is to prepare students for the future construction and manufacturing sector, where demands for both technological understanding and sustainability are increasing.
The background to the project is a growing need for skilled workers who can work with new production technologies while also contributing to the green transition in industry.
Strong collaboration between Danish AM Hub and Herningsholm
The project is being carried out in close collaboration between Danish AM Hub and Herningsholm Vocational School and Gymnasiums.
While Danish AM Hub is responsible for project management and brings knowledge of additive manufacturing and digital production into the project, Herningsholm contributes strong educational expertise and experience from the vocational education sector. The collaboration is crucial to ensuring that the teaching both reflects companies’ needs and is relevant in an educational context.
Herningsholm Vocational School and Gymnasiums will serve as the pilot school for the project. This is where the first teaching modules will be tested, further developed and documented with a view to creating a model that can later be rolled out to vocational schools across the country.
From challenge to prototype
A key element of Skilled Workers 4.0 is to give students hands-on experience with technologies and working methods that are already used in industry.
This will take place, among other things, through a series of challenges in which students work across disciplines on specific issues from companies. Here, they will develop solutions from idea to prototype and experience how technology, material selection and innovation interact in practice.
At the same time, the Danish 3D Printing Championship is being further developed with an increased focus on advanced production and sustainable materials. The ambition is to create greater visibility of the opportunities that digital production provides across disciplines.
Skills for the production of the future
With Skilled Workers 4.0, Danish AM Hub and Herningsholm Vocational School and Gymnasiums aim to strengthen the link between education and industry while also giving students concrete experience with the technologies and materials expected to become increasingly important in the production of the future.
The project will help educate a new generation of skilled workers who can translate technology, innovation and sustainability into practical solutions, thereby supporting the development of a more circular and competitive construction and manufacturing sector.
Project facts
- Project name: Skilled Workers 4.0
- Funder: The Tietgen Foundation
- Funding amount: DKK 2,095,000
- Project period: 2026–2028
- Project lead: Danish AM Hub
- Partner and pilot school: Herningsholm Vocational School and Gymnasiums
