Institutional innovation readiness for Industry 4.0 education: towards an inclusive model for the Kingdom of Bahrain

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to explore factors that contribute to institutional innovation readiness for Industry 4.0 education from the perspective of institutional experts and to develop a conceptual model for inclusive Industry 4.0 education. The study involves semi-structured interviews with 28 managers and strategists from various triple helix (i.e. educational, industrial and governmental) institutions in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Using thematic analysis and guided by a constructivist perspective, the study finds sets of themes for reform essentialities and value expectancies associated with institutional innovation for Industry 4.0 education. Reform essentialities pertain to educational system flexibility and funding, school curriculum revision and restructuring and high-performance talent and training. Similarly, value expectancy entails skills-focused programmes for lifelong and project-based learning, students-focused programmes for agile and responsive specialities, public-oriented programmes for empowering and transforming mind-sets and research-oriented programmes for developing and sustaining competencies. Managerially, this study stresses the need for multi-level (i.e. organisational-institutional-regional) strategic alignment that promotes and enhances co-evolution of institutions with technological advances. The study also highlights the practical role of programme-driven innovation for institutions to focus strategic foresight and readiness to cope with Industry 4.0 education demands through skills-focused, students-focused, public-oriented and research-oriented programmes.