Imagine having the ability to learn a new job with modern technology instead of sitting in a classroom or having your supervisor teach you a given task. You now have the ability to learn hands-on in a realistic environment through the power of virtual reality training. With virtual reality, employees can strap a headset on and go through real life scenarios in a virtual environment as if they were really happening. Through these headsets you are put into a 3D environment where you can walk and move your body. Many companies and organizations have embraced the use of this technology. Hilton Hotels has used virtual reality training since 2020. You can watch how they have employees train here. The NYPD also uses virtual reality training for active shooting and real-life scenarios. You can watch a sample here.
Many companies offer help with setting up your virtual reality environment that one would see in the headset. While the costs are high, the benefits are higher, allowing quicker and more immersive training experiences. Our personal recommendation is CenarioVR. CenarioVR allows you to upload multiple videos of your environment and transform it into a 3D virtual environment. From there, you can add to the scene actions the employee must perform, such as carrying out a given task, responding to questions, demonstrating skills and other interactions. The cost of such VR support varies by provider.
VR offers many benefits to employees when incorporated into a training program. First, VR training is very engaging and makes it fun for the user. Being able to perform tasks that the trainee needs to perfect for their job makes it an engaging and interactive experience. Second, trainees can repeat the same action as many times as they want. If they are struggling with a certain task, unlimited repetition will allow the trainee to retain the information and master the task at hand. Lastly, VR offers real time feedback for the employee. Being able to hear what could be improved upon is very beneficial to the user and enhances their performance in real life scenarios.
However, there are some challenges to incorporating virtual reality to your training programs. The first is price. For example, one headset can cost anywhere from $400-$800 dollars at minimum and if your company is large such as Hilton Hotels, that can add up. The second is the high-tech software it uses, which can present technical difficulties running along with potential glitches. Lastly, adapting to VR training may present difficulties for some employees. As the world becomes more technologically advanced, adapting to these technologies is a challenge for some employees and may be difficult to understand for others.
Despite the few challenges of VR training, it proves to be a beneficial addition to your company training programs. More and more major companies lean towards using VR every year and realize the benefits it provides its employees. If you think VR training is right for you, contact Total Training Solutions info@totaltrainingsolutions.com or call us at (630) 585-1168.
