As the energy industry evolves, securing qualified talent to maintain efficient operations despite structural-demographic issues continues to be a challenge for employers. While jobs across the industry continue to grow, they also continue to outpace the qualified labor available to support them. In addition to this inverse demand and supply relationship, the retirement of the industry’s most experienced class of employees presents challenges in ensuring the preservation of their historical knowledge as efficiently as possible.
According to the World Energy Employment Report, global energy employment rose to 67 million in 2022, an increase of 3.5 million from pre-pandemic levels. According to a proprietary survey carried out by the International Energy Agency, around 36% of these jobs are in high-skilled occupations, compared with about 27% for the wider economy. As these challenges continue to grow, many companies have opted to retrain workers for higher-demand positions and increase flexibility. This begs the question; can legacy training methods sustain this level of need and be efficient enough to close the gap? In most cases, the answer is no. Many leading organizations are following the lead of innovative manufacturers and retailers by turning to virtual reality training solutions. Virtual reality training solutions like those offered by Oberon Technologies® capture tribal knowledge and use it to create a fully immersive virtual experience that provides an innovative way to reskill, upskill and train employees with maximum efficiency.
Training Challenges in the Energy Sector
For the oil and gas sector, reskilling and upskilling new employees continues to be a major cost burden. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, for all industries, the cost of training a new employee independent of industry is estimated at approximately $4,125. Oil and gas employers see significantly higher costs as roles often involve working in higher- risk environments like extreme weather conditions, with heavy machinery, at great heights, with high voltage equipment, at increased risk for exhaustion and fatigue, as well as fire and explosion and more.
While much of the cost of job training comes from time spent, there are other, less obvious costs like those associated with utilizing inefficient methods that result in labor turnover, damaged equipment, injury training and the need for re-training. This is especially true for highly technical roles and advanced skill training. Being that more experienced employees would often be utilized if using conventional training methods, the cost of their high-value time is an additional consideration.
In addition to those risks and challenges, many skilled energy workers will also need re-certification throughout their careers. The cost of that continued education as well as the value of their time spent is an additional point of concern for employers.
Virtual Reality Training VS. Legacy Training Techniques
A 2020 PWC study shows that employees completed VR programs four times faster than in-person training and 1.5 times faster than e-learning. In addition, VR training results in learning retention rates of up to 80% one year after training, compared to 20% just one week after traditional training.
In addition to efficiency and knowledge retention, virtual reality methods allow employers to evaluate a trainees’ ability to perform tasks in a very specific, and often high-risk, environment. Knowing their capabilities before they are put into a real-world situation allows for quicker recognition of any knowledge gaps and the reduction of critical errors, often caused by lack of experience. By increasing the efficacy of training, the odds of costly human error and safety and environmental hazards are greatly reduced. The advantages of VR training include:
- Locational Awareness: VR provides opportunities for trainees to acquaint themselves with a work environment before they ever set foot inside it, providing a level of familiarity when on the job work begins, without the assumption of risk.
- Knowledge Transfer: Given the skills gap that the industry is facing, VR can help bridge the generation gap by documenting the historical knowledge of the most experienced generation of employees. In addition to knowledge conservation, VR is an enticing recruiting tool for employers to utilize in attracting top talent.
- Recording and Playback: In the moment feedback is crucial to training success. Because the training takes place in a digital environment, each session can be recorded and replayed for analysis and feedback, which helps trainees learn from their mistakes, while trainers can evaluate performance in a way that directly reflects the work Analytics can be run against the captured data to identify trends and areas needing more attention.
- Hazardous Scenario Simulation: VR allows trainers to introduce simulations into the training that could be impractical or dangerous for a trainee. VR provides important hands-on experience without the risk and costs associated with real-world learning. Thus, workers can be exposed to a wider range of learning situations, and training can be adapted to unique risk factors.
- Unlimited Use: Once a VR environment has been created, it can be used and reused on an almost limitless basis, greatly extending the potential for training and knowledge acquisition, while at the same time reducing the time and cost of off-site training.
- Enhanced Proficiency Training: VR allows technicians to undertake proficiency training just prior to entering a work site, with details that match the actual environment they will be working in.
- Improved Engagement: VR fully engages the senses, preventing an employee from being distracted by outside influences and thus maximizing learning engagement and retention.
Examples and Typical Use Cases
VR Increases knowledge retention, the safety of front-line workers and speeds up the training process by having personnel well trained and prepared for an emergency. For example, in a recent partnership with GTI Energy, a leading non- profit research and training organization focused on energy transition solutions, Oberon Technologies created a module designed to prepare trainees to “make safe” the scene of an emergency to ensure the protection of life and property, while collaborating with emergency response teams.
The module uses a fully immersive virtual reality training course, integrated into overall training to increase engagement and improve overall retention by 80% or more. Scenarios address performing emergency operations, as defined by the emergency response plan and in compliance with federal regulations. The VR courses further allow for trainees and instructors to interact in the same virtual environment enabling virtual, hands-on training.
Additional Use Case Scenarios Include:
- New employee onboarding
- Re-certification courses
- Facility and working environment familiarization
- Equipment location and identification
- Emotional evaluation (testing for fear of heights, claustrophobia, motion sickness, etc.)
- Standard operating procedures
- Advanced skills training
- Hazard identification
- Inspection procedures
- Maintenance procedures
- Emergency response procedures
- Safety and compliance training
- Skills and environment screening
Vi Kellersohn is the chief marketing officer of Oberon Technologies. Vi leads the marketing efforts, manages strategic partnerships, and supports strategic projects. For over 20 years Vi has helped create co-marketing campaigns, success stories, and business case and ROI reports for B2B technology organizations. Throughout her career, Vi has led marketing organizations across all marketing functions including strategy, demand generation, thought leadership, and sales enablement. Vi is a frequent speaker at industry events and serves on industry committees including VRARA and Industrial XR Associations.
