As countries have evolved from agricultural to industrial to knowledge-based and service-based new economies, the nature of work has increasingly been disrupted by technological advancement and transformation. This introductory chapter serves to discuss the forces of change and the impact of Industry 4.0 on the future of work, especially on the need for a redefinition of the nature of work, changes to workforce re/skilling requirements and the reshaping of workplaces. The chapter starts with a discussion on the notions of applied degree education and the digital workspace, where the demand for graduates with strong digital competencies and applied skills in tandem with soft skills are increasingly sought after. Next, Education 4.0 and the future of work is discussed. Increasingly, workforce readiness will focus less on what one knows and more on how one can demonstrate, not only the synthesis and application of knowledge and skills, but also the inter-operably, the integration of this synthesis in relation to the relevant new technologies in the field. The increasingly evident phenomenon of convergence and consequent blurring of boundaries between the traditional and vocational sectors is also discussed. Finally, we introduce the applied degree innovation ecosystem with respect to the change factors, including new generation education models, learning space design, Generation Z for the workforce, employability competencies, life-long learning, work-integrated learning and degree apprenticeship. © 2020, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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