The Teaching Factory: A Manufacturing Education Paradigm

The Teaching Factory paradigm aims to align manufacturing teaching and training to the needs of modern industrial practice. Future engineers and knowledge workers need to be educated with new curricula in order to cope with the increasing industrial requirements of the factories of the future. The Teaching Factory paradigm comprises the relevant educational approach and the necessary ICT configuration for the facilitation of interaction between industry and academia. The Teaching Factory aims at a two-way knowledge communication between academia and industry. Both knowledge channels of the paradigm are presented, in the context of this work, within real-life industrial applications. The Teaching Factory paradigm provides a real-life environment for students and research engineers to develop their skills and comprehend the challenges involved in everyday industrial practice.