Immersed at RTC Antwerpen

Louise Paepe is a consultant and XR-coordinator for RTC Antwerpen. RTC stands for Regional Technological Center. RTC work for the Department of Education to professionalize teachers and students in secondary education, mainly technical and vocational education. They organize and provide materials that are difficults/expensive for schools to purchase. They bring innovations from the industry to the schools, to make sure that students are better prepared when they enter the labor market. Louise has accepted to answer our questions about the use of virtual reality for EHS training.

How did you discover Immersive Factory ?

“I was introduced to Immersive Factory through Violaine Gragy from VR Expert. VR Expert is our hardware partner in this project. They are well aware of our needs within the project and have recommended us a few interesting software developers, such as Immersive Factory.”

Why did you choose virtual reality for EHS training ? How do you use it ?

“Schools are experiencing difficulties and challenges; we believe that XR can be a solution.

For example, some procedures are very difficult to train in a classroom. The equipment you need is very expensive, or the procedure you want to train is dangerous. Some sites are inaccessible for student because of danger or age restrictions.

VR provides a solution to this problem. You can train multiple times in a safe, virtual environment. This way, students are aware of potential dangers and are better prepared when they have to do it in the real world.

We are providing schools with the necessary hardware and software. They can follow a training on how to use XR in the classroom. Afterwards they have everything they need to use XR with their students. This helps them to prepare better when they enter the labor market. For example, we have trainings from Immersive Factory that help prepare our students for handling dangers in multiple settings, such as a chemical factory or a warehouse.”

What needs does the choice to use VR meet for you ?

“XR can assist our teachers in training their students. It will never replace the need to train in the real world as well, but it can provide a complementary way of teaching. Teachers are able to train their students in a safe environment. You don’t need to purchase expensive materials or machines. In VR it doesn’t matter if you set anything on fire or if you break something. You are able to learn from it, without any harm or costs.

Students can learn in a virtual environment first. When they are confident in this environment, they can switch to the real environment. This way, they will learn faster, make less mistakes, less materials have to go to waste and face less risks.

A lot of companies are also using XR to train their employees. Students will already be familiar with it when they enter the labor market.  

It’s a great technology for training. Right now, every student has a laptop, we believe in the future, each student will also have a VR-headset.”

At this stage, what are the added values and points of improvement that you associate with virtual reality in EHS field?

“XR has great value for training in the EHS field. It provides a safe way to train and learn. You will be better prepared to do certain procedures in real life.

At this time, implementing VR can be quite expensive and complex. But this will only get easier and cheaper in the future.

Training scenarios are often quite general, with the help of AI, it might get easier to make the scenario’s more specific and tailor them for clients. Integrations with Learning Management Systems will make it easier to track progress of learners.”

Were you able to measure a difference before/after virtual reality?

“Schools are very excited about using XR. It provides them with a new, complementary way of teaching that was never possible before. You are able to visit certain places that are not accessible and train procedures that are difficult to do in a classroom. XR research is being conducted by a few colleges and universities in Flanders (UGent, Thomas More, Howest, PXL, HoGent and UCLL). They will measure the effects of the XR-actionplan.”

Would you recommend Immersive Factory?

“I would definitely recommend Immersive Factory. Our schools are very excited about their trainings.  It helps them to make students aware of potential dangers in their worksites. Immersive Factory provides great trainings and support. The implementation is very easy and the apps work smoothly. If you are looking for VR-trainings in the EHS Field, you should definitely check out Immersive Factory.”

The Immersive Factory solution is not only for companies, it’s also for students and school to help prepare them for their future. It’s a great solution to practice their knowledge safely. Contact us if you want this solution for your school !