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The use of virtual reality in job training
The use of virtual reality in job training
What use do VR headsets have in training people for jobs?
May #, 2022
As virtual reality systems continue to evolve, the idea that they are used exclusively for entertainment has grown weaker. Various companies, such as Walmart, Porsche, and AST, have adopted VR into their training programs, spending a large sum of money on various headsets and training software. Why?
Companies adopting virtual reality have cited various improvements over traditional methods, the most notable being extreme reductions in time it takes to train, 4 times faster according to an article by PWC. Walmart has cited that their usual 8 hour trainings have been cut down to 15 minutes thanks to the adoption of virtual reality, a fantastic improvement. Another major benefit is that the information learned inside of virtual reality training sticks for longer, and better. The engagement provided inside of an interactive training allows for the skills they learned to be applied better, again by PWC, this is cited as a 275% improvement across various companies.
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But there are cons to using virtual reality. One of the less than ideal components of VR training is the entry cost, as even the most basic of standalone headsets go for 300$, like the Oculus Go headset. The costs of virtual reality has been cited as the main reason as to why many companies who have considered VR training haven’t transitioned over. But, the one time cost of a headset over routine training has been noted by some companies- Purchasing one headset may cost more than traditional methods at first, but eventually becomes cost saving after enough uses Another barrier of entry to virtual reality training is the lack of understanding of how virtual reality works, which is understandable given how recent an invention virtual reality is, and even more recent its boom in popularity is.
Despite some of the aforementioned issues, virtual reality training has found its way into many companies, most notably Walmart, who adopted virtual reality training across nearly every one of its 4,700 stores not too long ago. The idea was introduced to the company by its senior director of digital operations. The transition from traditional methods has been a huge success, allowing employees to train from stores, without having to go to academies and take time off from work, or have coaches travel too and from stores.
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Given all of this, it's unlikely that the use of virtual reality in job training will be a short lived gimmick, and instead grow and become more available just as virtual reality has become as entertainment. As virtual reality systems continue to evolve over the years, it's likely that more and more companies will be able to use them, and use them better, given the constant evolution of virtual reality since its inception and popularization. It may be the case that within the next few years, it’ll be more common for companies to be using VR than to not, and the benefits of it will be even more extreme. Time will tell.
This is Cole’s second year at Edgewood, and the first on the writing staff. He enjoys creative writing, drawing, and playing various video games, both PC and VR. He hopes to better his writing by creating stories about interesting events.
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