Education Heat pumps are set to replace gas boilers and are quickly
becoming a popular alternative for heating homes, yet current plumbing courses do not include training on how to install heat pumps. Reskilling an entire workforce in person, with the right gear and parts, is expensive and time-consuming. Having these teachings available in an immersive environment can enable people to learn more effectively while still fostering a connection between managers and employees. Having these accessible in a business can help change the culture
of a company from one that only prioritises work, to one that encourages learning and bettering employees. An agile and strong learning culture in a business can be a great competitive asset and companies need to find a way to harness their collective knowledge. Until now it’s been the serendipity of where we may have sat or who we bumped into at the coffee machine. Technology can help people from different disciplines all over the world better connect and share their knowledge. Tere’s oſten an expectation within society, particularly within
organisations, for immediate success and results. However, expecting every employee to hit the ground running fosters a culture focused solely on short-term gains, which ultimately fails to meet everyone’s long-term needs. Businesses that shiſt their focus from addressing today’s challenges to strategically investing in talent development to meet future demands will reap the benefits. It’s been suggested that AI may not displace jobs, but rather, people and businesses that fail to embrace AI will lose out to those that do. A challenge that arose from hybrid working, which we’re still
of remote working and reduced travel to curb CO2 emissions, it’s evident that traditional learning methods are no longer viable. So, what is the way forward? It’s time to embrace a paradigm shiſt in learning – one that prioritises adaptability, innovation, and easy access throughout one’s career. Tis entails moving away from the one-size-fits-all approach to education and embracing a hybrid work-life balance to create personalised, competency-based learning models that empower individuals to develop the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. It also involves harnessing technology to create immersive learning experiences that go beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. Virtual reality, augmented reality, and AI have the potential to revolutionise training by providing interactive, hands-on learning experiences that nurture critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. XR can bridge the gap between remote and in-person learning, enabling managers and employees to feel connected despite being miles apart, and providing individuals with a tangible platform to acquire new skills, thus bringing learning to life. With new ideas and innovation naturally comes reluctance to
change. However, with an 80% growth rate in XR in education over the last five years, there is an appetite to embrace this new way of learning. Looking ahead, PwC anticipates that VR training will contribute £294 billion to the global economy by 2030. From a business perspective, utilising immersive technology can save a considerable amount of time in a working day. Take the role of a plumber, for instance – the UK government has legislated that gas boilers can no longer be fitted in new homes from 2025 onwards.
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struggling to deal with today revolves around the culture of a company. It’s been a constant challenge for leaders regarding how to cultivate a strong culture and still train and pass on knowledge to employees without physically being in a room with them. While businesses are working on Teams, Zoom, Google or similar remote working tools, they lack a unique identity, and employees feel that they could be working anywhere. Tere is no visual identity or emotional connection to the business other than their immediate team, the task at hand and the company website, which is designed for customers or investors. Utilising immersive technology to create a digital workplace, a “virtual campus” can change employees’ mindsets and create a genuine connection without sacrificing the benefits of hybrid working. Management consultant, Peter Drucker once famously said: “Te
greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence, it is to act with yesterday’s logic”. Te message is clear – current methods of learning are no longer relevant to the people of today. Whether it’s AI, IT infrastructure or the environments we work in – everything is changing rapidly and the companies of the present and future need to adapt. Instead of creating mandates to force people back into the office full-time, leaders should embrace the change and utilise the incredible technology being created today. It’s been said that 65% of children in primary schools today will work in jobs that don’t exist yet and as such, life-long learning should not be the responsibility of schools and universities. Leaders in the space have a responsibility to continually better their teams through support and training. Utilising immersive technology, and even AI, shouldn’t be viewed as taking jobs away from people, but instead making everyone’s life that little bit easier.
May/June 2024 | 27
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