Technical Education for Industry 4.0: Generation Z's motivation to study technical subjects - a comparative study of selected universities in Denmark and Poland

The emergence of powerful new technologies driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution is challenging engineering graduates. In recent decades, engineering education methods have evolved to keep pace with advanced technologies. However, the education system does not always adapt to the needs and requirements of the new generation. To achieve the best educational performance and learning outcomes, Generation Z should adapt to existing educational models. Young people growing up in an information world, with constant access to technologies such as the Internet, social networks, distance communication, etc., have developed several distinctive characteristics. These include the development of soft skills, a global understanding of the world and a different approach to knowledge, which is always at hand in the virtual world. It is therefore necessary to find new ways of teaching and knowledge transfer to meet the needs of the young people who belong to the Generation Z (and soon Generation Alpha). Moreover, adapting teaching methods to new trends should not imply disregarding previous experience. Rather, it should seek a state of balance between the new approach and the general requirements of an education system in a particular country, bearing in mind that the factors motivating Generations X and Y to study may not apply to Generation Z. This article presents students' perceptions of the current education system, the factors that motivate young people to study technical subjects and the perceived difficulties and disadvantages in these countries. The results of surveys conducted among groups of students from two universities were used: Technical University of Denmark, Ballerup Campus, and the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland.