top of page
Writer's pictureJan Zucker

Virtual Reality Training in the Workplace


virtual learning elearning training

Every business has a goal of saving time, decreasing expenses, and increasing revenue. The more engaged and informed the workforce, the easier it is to achieve these important goals. Now, even more than before, it’s vital for companies of all sizes to retain and attract key employees, and innovative eLearning is a powerful resource for accomplishing this - even with tightening budgets.

In-person staff training and professional development sessions can account for a sizable portion of a company’s budget, especially when you take into consideration live instructors, space needs, and lost work hours.

With all the remote working and learning going on, the era of endless in-person meetings and commuting to physical spaces has changed dramatically, perhaps for the better.

More and more companies of all sizes are understanding the value eLearning offers to adjust to our new reality.

Why VR Learning is So Effective

eLearning technology continues to advance, and Virtual Reality (“VR”) is one of the most effective tools in the eLearning arsenal.

In fact, global consulting firm PwC conducted a study on how VR training stands up to more traditional teaching methods, and confirmed that materials that elicit emotional responses are best accomplished through VR.

When people enjoy learning they retain more information and are higher achieving in key areas like interpersonal communication and job performance.

Employees also need to feel comfortable in their learning environments and confident in how to use what they’ve learned, and VR is an accessible solution for employees who may be tentative about training due to fear of errors when trying something for the first time.

VR also limits distractions during training sessions and affords employees more focus and enjoyment.

Virtual Reality Learning Appeals to Millennials and Gen Z Employees

Multimodal, “hands-on” learning is more effective than passively listening to a lecture or reading online training materials. Retaining information more quickly and applying it to real-world situations more effectively leads to fewer training sessions which economizes time and expense in the long run.

VR learning is particularly effective in attracting and retaining millennial and Gen-Z employees. Classroom/in-person training typically isn’t as effective on younger employees with shorter attention spans and different ways of absorbing and retaining information. VR speaks to them in a language they understand.

VR Training Works Well in a Blending Learning Environment

VR isn’t intended to completely replace in-person or classroom training. An effective training program typically utilizes several modes of learning, including classroom, online, and virtual reality. Blending learning allows companies to find the right training combination to reach employees at all ages and stages of their professional development.

A blended learning approach also allows companies to be more cost-effective at scale than classroom training alone. A VR module achieves cost parity of an in-person training of about 375 learners that don’t need to lose work hours, travel, and/or who don’t learn effectively with hours-long training sessions.

Several factors come into play when considering VR training for your company, including cost, scale, and availability.

If you are considering this powerful tool for your company, we can help! Contact us for a free consultation to learn more!

Would you use VR to train your employees? Let us know in the comments!

Comments


bottom of page