Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2022 - 24

It's no longer enough to find
employees who can physically do
the job. Organizations are searching
for employees who not only possess
the traditional hard skills, but also
possess creativity, problem-solving
skills, adaptability and leadership.
These soft skills bring integrity and
ingenuity to the workplace, allowing
organizations to keep up with the
rapidly changing demands of a
modern economy.
With employee retention, upskilling and
reskilling top of mind for organizations,
training has become a top priority. In
addition to training the more traditional
hard skills, modern training modules also
aim to develop the soft skills necessary
to function in today's business world. But
such training has become even more
challenging, given that more employees
are working remotely.
The challenge is this: How can
organizations engage their employees
in ongoing training and measure their
retention when they are no longer
located in the same space? For some
cutting-edge organizations, the answer
is found by using virtual reality (VR)
technology. VR allows organizations to
train both hard and soft skills by using
the same training modalities, allowing
them to invest in one set of equipment
to accomplish more than one crucial goal.
VR training, especially when combined
with other training modalities in a
blended learning environment, offers
employees the opportunity to learn
at
their own pace, and provides
managers with in-depth insights to
better understand how their training
contributes to the greater business.
| 24
As VR technology continues to evolve,
its use will become more ubiquitous. The
flexibility of VR training can revolutionize
your ability to improve your employees'
performance and engagement for the
long haul.
Considering that nearly half of VR's
enterprise users are educational
companies and institutions, VR is
rapidly establishing itself as a valuable
educational and training
tool. From
manufacturing to retail companies, VR
is being used to immerse learners and
trainees in common workplace situations
to practice daily tasks and skills.
VR Training is Not a Fad
Virtual reality has long been used in
gaming and to create other recreational
activities. That often makes it difficult for
organizational trainers to take it seriously
in the realm of training employees.
But as more organizations recognize
the advantages VR training has when
combined with traditional training
modalities, the possibilities for growth
suddenly become more apparent.
An advantage for organizations is that,
once invested, the technology can be
used to train employees on hard skills
and soft skills seamlessly. It also allows
training managers to easily update
training materials as job requirements
and
organization-wide
standards
change. Though it may cost more to
invest in VR training technology, the
long-term payoffs are much greater.
Flexibility Is Key
What makes VR training so innovative
is that it can be utilized across diverse
https://trainingindustry.com/glossary/virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality/
Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2022

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