Anglian Water is trialling new Virtual Reality (VR) in order to create bespoke tailored training programmes for its staff.
The brand new Virtual Reality programmes created by Anglian Water and educational experts Edg VR, allow the organisation to train and assess staff capabilities in an engaging and innovative way.
The new system allows up to 35 people to train simultaneously. By bringing the training to life virtually staff can gain experience in scenarios which would not be possible in reality due to safety considerations. More dangerous situations such as excavations, working at height, forklifting and fleet driving, can be practiced at zero risk to the learner.
Steve Havvas, Programme Manager at Anglian Water, said:
“Bringing members of staff together through a VR experience not only fosters good relationships during training, but it creates an immersive and realistic experience which is invaluable to new recruits. Training can be mundane and repetitive, and this is a fantastic opportunity to engage staff in a new and exciting way.”
“The system works by incorporating bespoke 360o photos, videos, CGI features and interactive platforms, to become a powerful training tool that excites, inspires and creates a shared experience. Sitting alongside our conventional training, this will continue to further enhance the health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce.”
The sophistication of the programmes also allows those conducting the training to view the trainee’s eyesight, recording data of where they look and what information they pick up, allowing the training sessions to be scored. This live-data feedback capability allows future training to be tailored accordingly, improving both quality and effectiveness of training.
As well as training staff, the innovative new VR experience will be used for educational purposes in schools throughout the region.
After initial testing over recent months, a pilot phase has now been launched through to December. The system will then be fully launched in January and rolled out across the organisation.
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