Digitalization & technology-enhanced learning

Our vocational training programs support teachers, principals and other education sector staff in integrating immersive virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) training into their existing digital training offerings. VR and AR training enable students to practice real-life work skills without disrupting operational processes at the workplace, with no safety risk or risk for damage, and with an unlimited number of repetitions.

The VR and AR training content includes national curriculum learning outcomes embedded as tasks. The content is designed specifically to help students meet the curriculum-based competence requirements and learning outcomes. Additional integrated e-learning courses can be offered to support the hands-on VR and AR training.

Our vocational competence assessment programs enable students to demonstrate the required knowledge, skills, and competence in a fully immersive VR environment. These programs can complement traditional assessment methods.

The VR environments for competence assessment are designed to follow the national TVET curriculum learning outcomes and work tasks. The tasks are performed using the correct methods and realistically modeled tools and equipment. Competence can be assessed by following the students’ skills demonstration via remote access to the VR environment or automatically by an “AI assessor”, which counts the points for the tasks in the VR environment.

Providing students with access to real worksites can sometimes be challenging. VR environments provide scalable solutions, allowing students to experience worksites and other operational environments virtually. By utilizing VR environments and 360° images, we can design virtual tours and scenarios where the students familiarize themselves with the real worksite and the important equipment and tools that are used there.

These virtual environments can also be used to onboard employees and students by giving them a virtual tour of the school campuses and vocational facilities.

Health and safety training and certification are mandatory in many industries. Ensuring the competence of the workforce acts as insurance. Accidents and poor quality can cost money and sometimes even lives.

OEP partners with leading experts to offer industry certificates as part of vocational training packages utilizing 360° learning environments and VR simulators. The certification trainings include e-learning theory and practical VR exercises. The tasks are remotely assessed, and an accredited certification provider, Kiwa Inspecta, awards certification qualifications. Several VR simulators are already in use in leading-edge Finnish companies.

Educational institutions can also use VR simulators for industrial certificates. Having students graduate with the competencies required by the industry ensures a skilled workforce for the future.