Cutting-edge virtual reality training for trade schools
Ideal Industries, Inc. brings immersive learning to the trades through its virtual reality division IVRY Technologies. By embracing cutting-edge VR technology and the metaverse, IVRY lessons train future electricians in a safe and accurate way.
The IVRY Virtual Electrical Training program is a series of virtual lessons for the next generation of electrical apprentices in trade schools across the United States and Canada. Each lesson is developed in partnership with professional electricians, ensuring the content is accurate and conforms to the schools' curriculum.
IVRY lessons instantly immerse students into an interactive jobsite where they practice electrical installations and wiring in a safe, virtual environment. In the lessons, students physically reach out with their VR controllers to interact with recognizable Ideal tools, like screwdrivers, wire strippers, and more. Students do the job of an electrician in a virtual workspace that mirrors the real world, rather than watching a static 2D instructional video in a classroom.
The interactive IVRY lessons mirror classroom learning - all in a safe, engaging, and waste-free environment. By performing electrical tasks themselves, students are more engaged and better remember learned information. Research from the University of Maryland found that VR training increases memory recall by 8.8 percent compared to traditional methods like textbooks or lectures. Numerous corporations such as American Airlines, Walmart, the Bank of America and FedEx have recognized this research and adopted VR training for their employees. However, few VR programs target trade schools and their students, making IVRY an industry leader in this learning revolution.
IVRY lessons are designed to train students in electrical tasks first, then assess their new knowledge. Each module is available in both guided mode and test mode. In guided mode, students learn the assigned task by working alongside a step-by-step voiceover.
In test mode, students complete the objective on their own and receive a score based on their performance. Their instructor also receives targeted feedback on the school's learning management system, ensuring they know which concepts students struggle with and need to review.
IVRY lessons also reduce the amount of time and money that instructors spend on labs for their students. The Virtual Electrical Training lessons use virtual wires and conduit for practice rather than using up real wires and conduit. Additionally, instructors avoid wasting time with the set-up and break down of physical labs. With VET lessons, students simply slip on a headset and a realistic jobsite is ready and waiting.
In June of this year, IVRY Technologies released its first VET lessons. The module covers topics that electrical apprentices learn in their first few years of schooling, including the installation of a single-pole switch, a standard duplex receptacle, a half-hot receptacle, a three-way switch controlling a light, a four-way switch controlling a light, and a ground fault circuit interrupter. These lessons are available for Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees in the United States and Canada to download now on their learning management system. IVRY Technologies believes in the future of immersive learning for the skilled trades and is developing many new virtual lessons to release soon.
Through its Virtual Electrical Training, IVRY Technologies is spearheading the use of VR technology in the electrical industry. The safe, accurate, and immersive lessons will help ensure the newest generation of electricians is well-equipped to handle America's growing electrical needs.
• Kaitlin Liebling is a technical writer at IVRY Technologies. Family owned with 100 years in the business, Ideal Industries excels in powering those who power the world. For more information about Ideal Industries, visit idealindustries.com.
For more information about IVRY Technologies, visit our website at ivry.technologies.com.