Virtual Reality can take employee training to another level — and another world!

The tech is so immersive and so different from e-based learning there’s no comparison.

VR training can offer an entirely new approach to training, and it’s especially relevant for people working in industrial settings where health and safety is a primary concern.

Take for example the oil and gas industry which operates high-hazard environments fraught with risks and opportunities for accidents.

Offshore rigs are such unique environments that until you’ve worked on one it can be difficult to know what to expect and what to be aware of. This is where VR can come in, providing a fully immersive environment to provide role-play training that closely replicates the job concerned.

Combine VR with a digital twin of the workplace environment and not only can the employee familiarise themselves with the setting in which they will soon be working, but importantly, apply VR-based training within the digital replica — making it as close as possible to the real thing.

With VR training the employees can complete all of their initial training before they ever set foot onsite AND they can do this in a safe way, repeating exercises as needed until they are competent and confident. Plus all of this takes place in a controlled environment.

This life-like practice has proven far more engaging for employees. Knowledge acquisition is accelerated, and by practising relevant processes and procedures they are able to build up muscle memory so when it comes to doing the real thing, it comes much naturally.

As VR support for DNV, we have created extensive environments using digital twins as a platform for applying carefully developed VR training scenarios. This training began as a trial for DNV but has proven so successful it has been scaled up and more widely applied.

It has radically improved health and safety awareness amongst employees, plus it has also helped in the development of soft skills by allowing the employee to practice as required without the risks that would be there if this were a real environment.

That said, we design content-rich VR exercises that can simulate accidents and emergencies, such as fires and evacuations, to provide a sense of what can go wrong and the potential consequences of not following protocols. Creating these effects in any other training format would not be anywhere near as feasible.

Of course the oil and gas industry is just one example where this tech really does have user advantages. VR-based training is very applicable to any environment where employees are involved in demanding and potentially dangerous lines of work.

Construction, manufacturing, utilities, and infrastructure, are all sectors that can and do benefit from such invaluable training that is both cost effective and provides real ROI.

More information to follow in our next article.