Virtual Reality
Client
Lanes Group & Thames Water
Category
Virtual Reality
Sectors
Energy
Objective
SHIIFT was tasked with creating a blended training solution for Thames Water and Lanes Group plc, with the expressed goal of improving employee recruitment, career retention, and to improve the outcomes of workplace training.
Approach
Our team made use of the existing Igloo 360° facility as well as layer-on hardware and software applications to create a stimulating, realistic and interactive setting for employees and trainees. The solution was designed to engage participants in a more hands-on, immersive setting and to explore different outcomes.
The Problem
Our clients, Thames Water and Lanes Group plc, were experiencing a net loss of talent that was not offset by recruitment. In order to reduce employee turnover and to retain skilled labor, the client needed a solution that could improve outcomes in a practical and efficient way.
Many organizations have faced significant recruitment challenges during the Great Resignation, thus prompting innovative solutions for retaining talent and for onboarding talent using cost-effective and practical solutions. SHIIFT was retained to provide a fully blended learning experience for employees and trainees that could be simultaneously interactive and memorable while yielding the desired results in employee retention and attracting new talent to offset previous losses.
The Solution
A Shared VR Blended Training Simulation
SHIIFT developed a custom-built app for a shared multiplayer virtual reality training experience enabling innovative gameplay across a 360° viewing screen.
This training did not require users to wear a VR headset which allowed for a more effective and collaborative group training experience
Users physically enter a room (Igloo VR Dome) and share a space that transforms the world around them into the virtual environment, akin to the immersive CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) systems used in scientific research, engineering and design, geospatial analysis, military simulations, etc. The more recent Igloo technology we worked with is more flexible and practical for users.
Employees were trained in end-to-end processes, navigating them through key stages and processes
The solution was equipped with background analytics enabling the client to highlight areas of training that employees find challenging, and focus training efforts in those areas.
IMPACT
Staff Retention: +57% Increase in staff retention
Team Happiness: +10% Improvement in team happiness
Award Winning VR Training: Won our client the Institute of Water of Innovation Award 2020 for the South East Region
Cost Savings: £1,000,000 In savings from recruitment and training costs
Which services did you DEPLOY?
An interactive Igloo program was used for the purpose of teaching new recruits about site management and road safety. Participants were tasked with the positioning of signs, cones, and any required Traffic Management Systems while also avoiding hazards or inconsistencies in the simulated environment.
Development engine
The project was developed using the well-known Unity game engine to create all elements and virtual assets. The project was developed as an app and did not require the use of a VR headset.
How long did it take?
The entire project for Thames Water and Lanes Group plc took 6 weeks from start to completion and submission of all assets to the client. No VR headset was required for the training.
When was this completed?
Our solution was completed for the client in February 2020, for use within the organization and by human resources personnel for the purposes of training new and existing employees.
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