News · October 2023

Revolutionise human skills training with immersive VR

PTR calls them human skills rather than soft skills. VR lets people practise them inside scenarios about diversity, equity, inclusion and leadership, delivered through PTR's Immersive VR Library.

Three students, one wearing a headset, turn toward each other mid-discussion.

The benefits of VR for human skills

By placing learners in realistic virtual environments, VR simulates real-world scenarios, letting people practise and refine their communication skills in a safe, controlled setting.

VR also helps people develop empathy and emotional intelligence, by placing them in situations where they interact with people of different backgrounds, cultures and abilities.

What an independent study found

PwC's 2020 study compared VR-based training against classroom learning and e-learning.

A student joins a remote learning check-in, seen through the headset. — **Faster to train.** PwC's 2020 study found VR learners could be trained up to 4 times faster than classroom learners.

Feedback cards sorted on a table after a review round. — **More confident and connected.** The same study found learners up to 275% more confident to apply their skills and 3.75 times more emotionally connected to the content.

A simulated cultural safety scenario for aged care.

What PTR builds into the modules

PTR's VR draws on people's lived experience, so it is grounded in real life. Modules range from short, easy-to-use scenarios to replayable practice conversations and longer perspective-taking experiences.

PTR's modules address unconscious bias, cultural competency and inclusive leadership, exposing people to different perspectives so they can communicate more effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

Success story: Mater Education

A pilot that put a real hospital culture program inside VR.

A ward scenario for practising feedback conversations. — **Speaking with Good Judgement.** PTR worked with Mater, a leading Australian private hospital group, to bring its "Speaking with Good Judgement" program into VR, co-designed with the Centre for Medical Simulation.

A supervisor wearing a headset gives feedback to a student on placement. — **Branched outcomes.** Branched scenarios let learners explore different outcomes, delivered face to face to more than 60 participants across Mater campuses. See the Mater case study.

A headset-wearing supervisor gives feedback to a colleague on a warehouse floor.

How the library enhances skills development

Using PTR's library, organisations save time and resources while providing high-quality human skills training, a scalable option accessible from anywhere, at any time.

Employees can practise challenging situations in a safe, controlled environment, building confidence and reducing anxiety, with instant feedback that helps them learn from their own choices.

The range of the library

The library covers training needs across industries, from conflict resolution to customer service.

A customer speaks with a staff member across a service counter. — **Customer service.** A customer, heard out in full.

A team leader runs a short huddle before a shift. — **Team leadership.** A short huddle between the desks.

An employee sits across a meeting table, seen through the headset.

Customised to the organisation

PTR's VR can be customised to fit the needs of any organisation. The team works closely with clients to build training modules around their specific needs and goals, or to create new modules from scratch.

See more on XR overview, Peek into PTR VR or VR training, education and sustainability.

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