VR: The Technological Game Changer in Professional Training

In the context of professional training, VR has become an increasingly popular asset under the contemporary work environment. From large corporations such as UPS to emerging businesses, VR is changing how training is conducted across sectors, facilitating recruitment and boosting employee retainment and productivity.

From our 2019 US Learning and Development (L&D) Report, the application of VR technology in the corporate realm is going beyond traditional simulations. Survey respondents have reported that they are utilizing virtual reality to help their organizations foster empathy in the workplace.

For any company that is looking for ways to grow and strengthen its market position, VR training can be the solution to staying ahead in a competitive environment.

Learning from Large Corporations

Companies across industries are creating programs that allow employees to cultivate their individual competence while strengthening relationships within the team.

The hands-on nature of VR training transforms skill developments into a memorable experience.

STRIVR, a VR coaching company at the forefront of the technology, has been cooperating with Walmart to create a VR training program for store associates. With the implementation of VR training, Walmart employees are able to prepare for daily routines and customer engagement more adequately. This kind of measure cuts the travel costs associated with conventional training facilities.

According to Danny Belch, the Chief Strategy Officer at STRIVR, VR’s ability to allow the individual to practice their learning in a safe environment makes it a valuable complement to professional training.

“You can now practice these situations. You can get a legitimate lifelike scenario with full end-to-end practice. It’s not role play. It’s alone and the stakes are free. You have this beautifully free space to practice, to stumble on your words,” says Belch.

The hands-on nature of VR training transforms skill developments into a memorable experience. Something that typical classroom teaching and workshops cannot achieve. In other words, VR technology enhances professional training because it provides an experiential mode of learning with simulations of real-life challenges at the workplace.

The Path To Workforce Diversity and Innovation 

Beyond the scope of ground-level operation, VR-based training can also be implemented to ensure a diverse and productive work environment. For training purposes, VR offers the individual the opportunity to rehearse and tailor their behaviors.

Picture this: goggles on, you hold out your hands and look down. You are a different race. Or, you are in a wheelchair. Maybe you are now a different gender. You stop by a mirror and discover your new virtual body before you walk down the hallway to go into a job interview. You are then immediately confronted by someone who is displaying prejudice toward you.

What differentiates such VR training is that it does not just reproduce abstract, conceptual information used in conventional training. When the training material is visualized as a real situation, the impact becomes direct and tangible. More importantly, both participants and observers of the VR simulation can learn from interactions they would not have experienced or expected otherwise.

In this sense, VR technology can contribute to a more inclusive workplace that fosters supportive team dynamics. Where there’s support, there’s innovation—and trust and understanding must exist between the team members for innovation to flourish.

There’s Still Room for VR Training to Grow 

Because of its versatility and proven effectiveness, virtual reality will continue to have a presence in the realm of professional training. Our report also finds that VR training currently makes up only 4% of the overall L&D resources in the US, which indicates that there is still much potential for the technology to be tapped into.

Because of its versatility and proven effectiveness, VR will continue to have a presence in the realm of professional training.

In order to meet the demands of the digitized age, companies are leveraging a number of creative methods to ensure that employees possess the critical skills to face the challenges posed by automation. VR technology falls fittingly in the category of innovative solutions that today’s companies are searching for.

Irrespective of the size and nature of your company, VR technology can serve as a technological upgrade for the training process, capable of producing tremendous outcomes that will enhance the workplace productivity and engagement.

About the Author

Aspen Zhang, digital content editor at professional training search engine findcourses.com, explores professional training trends to deliver effective learning and development solutions for companies and individuals.