New-age training a virtual success
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ONE of Australia ' s largest almond producers is turning to a new way to deliver essential safety training for its staff . Olam has orchards spanning over 15,000 Hectares across Victoria and Southern NSW . Due to the size of its operations , it employs many staff across a variety of roles . Olam recognised the need to change the way it delivers safety training and approached SuniTAFE in Mildura to deliver training to its employees in a more engaging and innovative way . It was a natural partnership - with most of Olam ' s current and prospective employees being students at SuniTAFE , and many existing employees studying short courses there in agri-business and chemical safety . SuniTAFE was chosen as the training partner because of its renowned training delivery in horticultural programs in the Sunraysia region . Together , Olam and SuniTAFE developed an innovative means of delivering safety training in a way that is more impactful than traditional methods - by turning to virtual reality technology . Virtual reality is the most immersive type of reality technology . In fact , it ’ s so immersive that it can trick the brain into thinking that it ’ s somewhere it ’ s not . Head-mounted displays ( goggles ) are used with headphones and hand controllers to provide a fully immersive experience . Virtual reality training programs have been shown to result in faster comprehension , improved knowledge retention , and consistent , scalable learning . It presents an engaging and cost-effective means of delivering information . SuniTAFE and Olam ’ s virtual reality training program received support through a grant from the Workforce Training and Innovation Fund . It consisted of four modules : personal protective equipment , drug and alcohol use in the workplace , speeding , and use of a mobile phone while operating equipment . Each module was dual scenario . The first scenario demonstrated the consequences of performing a task unsafely and the second demonstrated the same task being performed safely . To be both professional and authentic , the modules were created using a combination of professional actors and SuniTAFE staff . Eighty Olam
In A Nutshell - Winter 2022 Vol 23 Issue 2 staff participated in the program and feedback was overwhelmingly positive , with 97 % of participants saying they felt that it was an effective way to learn . Most research examining the effectiveness of using virtual reality for educational purposes has found that it reduces the time taken to learn , decreases the number of trainee errors , increases the amount learned , and helps learners retain knowledge longer than traditional methods . The effectiveness of the program was demonstrated in the first harvest following implementation when Olam experienced a zero-incident harvest . Due to the success of the program , Olam has now implemented virtual reality safety training with their other enterprises .