I. Virtual Reality For Training Is Happening
Industry leaders, trade associations, think tanks, managers at various levels and the employees themselves are laboring to integrate the best parts of technology into the workplace. Within this push, there is the question what is virtual reality for training?
Some academics have even given this effort a name: The Fourth Industrial Revolution or “Industry 4.0.” And it involves VR. Within this wave is the use of virtual reality for training. A flurry of statistics shows that VR training solutions are taking off in popularity
Quick Numbers on the Growth of VR Training Solutions
- The VR technology software market alone was $4.3 bil. in 2024
- Instruction-based use of VR is expected to increase with market expansion estimated at 40.6% annual growth
- Enterprise companies are diving in, including Ford Motor Company, UPS, Delta Airlines and Walmart
II. VR Technology And Virtual Reality For Business (And Training)
The Short, Working Definition of Virtual Reality
VR includes countless digital, sensory, and cognitively-interactive things. In short, it’s a lot more than our nephew’s video games. Virtual reality is the digitally and electronically-assisted re-creation of life-like entities and places all aimed at producing sensations. These may or may not include visual, auditory, tactile or other sensory engagements. Being a screen-based technology, i t almost always involves a visual element. Naturally, these elements of the virtual world have enormous potential to mimic numerous KSAs (knowledge, skills and attitudes).
→ Read about corporate training and the three main workplace training needs.
Hardware, Headware and Level of Immersive Experience in Virtual Reality for Training
Headware. The most common form of virtual reality for training happens in VR headsets also called head-mounted displays (HMDs). These have come a long way since the earliest models which were so bulky they had to be secured to the ceiling for use! Today, they weigh less than two pounds and most have refresh rates at or better than HD monitors-excellent for think-fast job training applications.
Hardware. It’s possible to have a modified VR technology deliver virtual reality’s benefits of experiential learning. And it can happen without VR headsets. However, it’s not the same level of immersion; learners won’t get the same potency of benefits. Additionally, translating and/or directly creating the experience to desktop or mobile screens takes some additional labor with software like Web GL and others.
Here are also some applications of VR on desktop monitors (like Roundtable Learning’s cargo truck driver training.) Ultimately, the VR training solutions used most by job trainers tend to be done on VR headsets.
Hardware Continued. Even More Immersive. A major advancement in VR technology in just the last five years is hand tracking. Handheld controllers and paddles work well for many experiential learning modules in VR. But for some, having built-in capabilities on a headset to track hand movement is irreplaceable. A few of the enterprise-level VR headsets now feature highly accurate, empty-hand-tracking.
Level of Immersive Experience. Pitch, roll and yaw are not just pirate slang. They’re the three directions in 3DoF (three degrees of freedom or “three doff”) VR headsets. 3DoF means the headset will only track when the person tilts or angles their head. 6DoF includes immersion and real-time content experiences that respond to up, down, left, right, forward and backward. 3DoF was the original and still has some applications. But for a really immersive, action-oriented skill rehearsal, many industries using virtual reality for training are opting for 6DoF.
Another VR development that’s really advanced in recent years is haptics. Haptic feedback is a range of tactile sensory reactions within the virtual environment. Often used in the form of gloves, vests, pedals, and platforms, haptics is proving to add an extra layer of immersion in virtual reality experiences.
→ Read about haptic gloves uses for tactile feedback in virtual reality training solutions.
III. Virtual Reality For Business And Workplace Training
All of that hardware and software simulates exciting applications for workplace tasks and learning experiences. VR technology in training presents the goldilocks-level of multi-sensory input to simulate a workplace and what’s done there. With this portable para-workplace, trainers and employers can 1) se how employees react to a workplace situation and/or 2) help them do it better.
Most Common Goals/Macro-Metrics In Virtual Reality For Training
- Increase Productivity
- Improve safety
- Adjust to changes in operations
- Numerous others
Virtual Reality has become an increasingly valuable tool in learning and development, allowing your education to extend beyond an eLearning course or classroom setting. And according to a landmark study by Roediger & Karpicke, students who self-tested (including making errors) remembered 60% of the material after one week, compared with 40% for those who simply reread it. Virtual reality training allows learners to make mistakes that won’t cost the business a dime in downtime, production loss, or damages.
Virtual Reality for Training: Examples of Training Categories
- Scenario-Based Learning
- Technical Skills
- Multi-Step Tasks |
- Onboarding
- Simulations
IV. Virtual Reality For Training, Main Uses
Within almost any workplace, there are some tasks that can be translated into VR training solutions. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s remarkably adaptive and versatile. VR application in business is reshaping work, learning, and interaction; especially with remote operations becoming standard.
VR is a popular modality for training where safety is concerned because “…in so many situations, it is expensive, dangerous, and just impractical to create a real-life simulation that works.”
– Josh Bersin, L&D Titan and Founder of Deloitte Consulting || VR Enters Corporate Learning With A Vengeance: And The Results Are Amazing
- Technical Skills – Teach employees how to assemble products. Run trainees through a complicated machinery operation by allowing them to interact with a digital twin. Prompt learners to physically walk around an environment and, using hand-held controllers, pick up virtual objects, push virtual buttons, and more.
- Multi-Step Tasks – Work through troubleshooting products and repair equipment by outlining the steps and guiding the learner to work through the problem step by step.
- Onboarding – Introduce new employees by showing them the ins and outs of the business, shop floor, process, and more from their own training room.
- Simulations – Aviation, facility security, and driving trucks are great examples of simulation-based training where you can work on reactions in hazardous situations without actually being in danger.
- Scenario-Based Learning – Certain routine, person-to-person situations can actually be rehearsed effectively through a VR experience. Refine soft skills with a first- person perspective of real-life situations involving customer satisfaction. Create a realistic sense of a tense situation; developing basic workplace-specific skills in interpersonal decision-making.
The simplest way to say it is that virtual reality for training adds by subtracting. What are the things that al managers, executives, bosses, etc want to see less of? They want to see less time lost, less product lost, less budget lost. In the physical world, a crate of shattered coffee mugs or light bulbs can’t be refunded. By swiping clean the pixels in a computer generated environment, it can.
V. VR Training Solutions, Best Use Cases
The best modality for a job training depends on the task. Virtual reality for training has hype but it really does produce results when used for the right learning experiences. It glitters, and-if you choose VR training for the right task-it can deliver some workplace gold. There are stil plenty of learning curricula where eLearning, ILT, or augmented reality are better suited.
Risk Free Environment and Other Pros
In every instance of pros and cons in virtual reality for business, the pros involve cost savings; but there’s still more.
Safe Learning Environment. You can give your employees a safe learning environment where they can take risks without affecting customers or the business.
Exciting and Engaging. VR is new to most people. Telling your employees that they get to use VR will create a buz. It’s an instance of using hype to your advantage. People can get excited to use the technology and participate in the development program.
Adaptable. Almost everyone can use VR technology; it doesn’t matter their body type, location, or even language. You can adapt your program to make it accessible to all of your employees.
Where Business VR Is Less Suitable; Related Cons
High Stakes, Complex, Long-form Communication. Lower-stakes customer experience is a good instance of communication training that works in VR. Using AR (a cousin of VR), Roundtable Learning equipped Six Flags amusement parks with a training program for seasonal workers at their snack stands. These service employees delivered an improved customer experience. The employees learned a POS and how to handle tense situations in a noisy park with impatient kids and parents sweating in the August heat.
However, other situations require person-to-person, face-to-face interaction. Soft skils, such as body language communication in a interpersonal, tone-of-voice, emotionally latent, communication setting such as in hospitals. These can require much more involved interpersonal experiences (though even in such sensitive and high-stakes situations, there are applications for VR).
Details Are Big and the Project Navigation Curve Is Steep. Getting it right with VR can give your workplace many benefits, but getting it wrong i n the early stages and with virtual prototypes has a compounding effect. The initial stage and the development stage are some of the most time – intensive parts of the process . The steep project navigation is why Roundtable goes through all the necessary or potential updates, upgrades and related future needs for any VR training solutions we deliver.
Upfront Costs. Almost all of the money saved with VR training is saved through things that can’t be seen: less wasted stock and fewer safety incidents for example. Yet this attrition leads to more money. The initial investments in VR in business are not small. They start in the lower five figures but can range up to the lower six figures (US dollars) of investment. (Our case studies are something you can take to the boss for further consideration if they’re concerned about cost.)
Like any other complex investment, there are attributes that will have an effect: your industry, the scope of your needed training and the level of immersive experience will al influence the final cost. However, as the technology becomes more widespread and more businesses opt into the VR market for training, the price continues to go down.
Can Virtual Reality Technology Give Your Workplace a Competitive Advantage?
Virtual reality offers a force multiplier to various industries practicing skills that could be experienced in a more cost efective way. Roundtable Learning can help you take a look.
Schedule a discovery session today!
Key Takeaways
Virtual Reality for Business and VR Training Are Happening
The use of virtual reality in workforce training is expanding rapidly, driven by technological shifts and enterprise adoption.
- The movement to integrate digital technologies like VR into the workplace is part of what some call the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
- Several large companies, including Walmart and Delta, are already using VR for training purposes.
- The market for VR training software has grown significantly and is projected to continue expanding at over 40% annually.
- Once mainly associated with entertainment, VR is now a practical business tool used for real workplace learning.
About VR Technology and Virtual Reality for Business (and Training)
Virtual reality refers to technology that recreates sensory experiences and is often delivered through immersive equipment like headsets.
- VR is a combination of visual, auditory, and tactile elements aimed at reproducing real-world sensations and interactions.
- Most VR training today is conducted through head-mounted displays (HMDs), though alternate methods like desktop or mobile are possible.
- Headsets now feature advanced technologies like hand tracking, allowing learners to interact with virtual environments without physical controllers.
- Higher levels of immersion come from systems with 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) and haptic feedback devices such as gloves and vests.
Virtual Reality for Business and Workplace Training
In corporate settings, VR simulates real workplace experiences to support measurable goals such as productivity, safety, and adaptation.
- VR provides trainers with a way to evaluate employee reactions and guide behavior improvement in simulated environments.
- The format allows for error-based learning, which has been shown to improve retention over passive review methods.
- VR training can accommodate a wide variety of learning formats including simulations, technical instruction, onboarding, and soft skills practice.
- Common training goals include raising efficiency, lowering risk, and speeding up employee adjustment to operational changes.
Virtual Reality For Training, Main Applications
Across industries, VR is being adopted for technical, procedural, and interpersonal training that’s otherwise too risky or costly to replicate physically.
- VR enables the delivery of complex simulations that would be impractical or hazardous to perform in real life.
- Employees can be taught to perform mechanical operations, follow repair sequences, or troubleshoot equipment through interactive digital environments.
- Scenario-based training helps employees rehearse interpersonal or customer service scenarios in a safe but realistic setting.
- By replacing physical inventory or hazardous setups with digital equivalents, VR training minimizes waste and risk.
VR Training Solutions, Best Use Cases
Virtual reality training offers measurable advantages when used in appropriate learning contexts, though it also comes with upfront costs and logistical complexity.
- VR allows learners to safely experiment, make mistakes, and try again without impacting real-world operations or inventory.
- The novelty and interactivity of VR tends to increase learner engagement and program participation.
- While VR is broadly adaptable, it may fall short in high-stakes interpersonal communication training that requires emotional nuance.
- Initial investment costs can be high and the importance of setting a solid course for the VR training project is more important in this modality than in others, but long-term savings from improved safety and reduced error often offset early expenditures.
