Upskilling Strategy 2020: Is Your Workforce Acquiring Extended Reality (XR) Skills?

58% of companies will embrace immersive technology by 2022, says the World Economic Forum, which is a massive uptick from where we stand today. Inevitably, this requires a whole new upskilling strategy – but are companies ready? In an exclusive conversation with Lou Pushelberg from Circuit Stream, we explore:

• How extended reality (XR) technology could change the workplace
• Three tips to help your employees acquire extended reality (XR) skills
• How the right upskilling strategy could help you lead to a workforce prepared to apply XR at work

The digital era demands new skill sets, but are companies ready? Research from the World Economic ForumOpens a new window says otherwise. There may be as many as 756,000 unfulfilled technology jobs by 2020, and that’s just in the European Union. With the advent of Industry 4.0 and next-gen digital technologies, closing the skills gapOpens a new window has become increasingly challenging in the last few years.

For example, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality (AR, VR, and MR, together called extended reality or XR) are still at a nascent stage – but by 2022, 58% of companies will have adopted these technologies, necessitating a fresh set of skills from employees. Organizations that take a proactive stance and deploy digital upskilling strategies today will stand to gain a competitive edge.

We spoke to Lou Pushelberg, co-founder of Circuit StreamOpens a new window , an education and software provider of virtual and augmented reality platforms, to understand the role that XR could play in workplaces of the future.

Learn More: Microsoft Launches AI Business School – Time for HR to Adapt?Opens a new window

Why AR/VR Could Change How Workplaces Operate

AR/VR is gradually gaining ground, starting from consumer-facing sectors like gaming and e-commerce. On the enterprise side, there is a lot of interest in manufacturing, where AR/VR could help to manage factory assets, repair machines, monitor production, and ensure worker safety.

Any sector that leverages engineering skills can gain from AR/VR, as these technologies allow employees to simulate complex concepts before starting development. “Specifically, organizations in these heavy industries see AR/VR as a valuable tool to realistically simulate dangerous or expensive situations in a safe environment – making it especially effective and engaging to train staff to be safer and less wasteful,” explains Pushelberg.

But this is not all. In HR, you can get started with AR in learning & developmentOpens a new window as well as revolutionize the training of soft skillsOpens a new window . In fact, VR can also be used to facilitate diversity training in the workplaceOpens a new window .

“With 1 in 5 businesses already testing an immersive training initiative, we expect to see XR continue to expand in industries,” Pushelberg adds.

This evolution of the way people learn requires an entirely new upskilling strategy that focuses on digital literacyOpens a new window beyond essential productivity tools. As technologies like XR become mainstream across enterprises, a different approach to upskilling will be necessary to help learners absorb, retain, and apply the knowledge acquired.

To keep up with these changing learning trends, leading organizations, including Lockheed Martin, the U.S. navy, Hershey’s, and Boeing (among others), have partnered with Circuit Stream to reimagine their upskilling strategy for the digital era. This is a ten-week course Opens a new window to help trainees learn the impact of VR/AR on their industry, their potential uses, and even how to build their own applications.

Learn More:

How to Train New Employees: 5 Steps for PlanningOpens a new window

Getting Started With XR Training? 3 Ways to Ensure Your Upskilling Strategy Meets XR Parameters

Using technologies like XR to reskill workersOpens a new window requires the freedom of hands-on implementation as well. No matter how detailed your upskilling strategy, it is vital to ensure that employees can test out their new skills before bringing them to the job floor. Pushelberg shares three tips to make this happen.

1. Personalize the learning curve to meet individual employee needs

No two learners will follow the same pace, and your upskilling strategy, including XR, must allow for this necessary level of flexibility. Too often, a digital skills course follows a highly rigid format, as it is triggered by a specific event or project. Employees race to meet a deadline, as the completion of a project depends on their learning of the new skill. This cannot be the case in areas as complex as XR. 

At Circuit Stream, Pushelberg prioritizes each student’s development goals and designs the weekly sessions on whatever immediate targets the learner has at hand. “This speed at which our students can apply knowledge is core to our course experience and to our success,” he adds.

2. Complement learning materials with one-on-one sessions

Certain queries cannot be answered by an FAQ section or one-way learning content. You need to provide sessions with a human instructor as part of your upskilling strategy. This is particularly important when it comes to technologies like XR, which is a new concept, and there isn’t much literature to go around on the topic.

The success of XR techniques is seen in the quality of the final project that a student pursues (not necessarily one that’s imposed by the company).

For this reason, an instructor must be at hand to guide learners through confusing areas and clarify specific concepts. “Most of our students find this to be a uniquely useful tool to review concepts, apply skills, and to develop their own AR/VR project,” says Pushelberg, who offers live training to learners on the creation and implementation of XR technologies.

3. Give employees a platform to showcase their learning

Futuristic techniques like XR can seem irrelevant to employees, mainly if they come from a non-technical background. That’s why your upskilling strategy must include a forum where learners can share and demonstrate their skills, getting feedback and recognition for their projects.

Frequently, you’ll even find employees acquiring a non-technical takeaway after undergoing a digital learning course. For instance, Vera Wegener, a self-employed lighting designer who used Circuit Stream, said that it helped her become more motivated. “I used the technical skills I learned but also learned that it is very normal to sometimes start your project all over again,” she said.

Learn More: Why Upskilling and Reskilling Are the Future of Workplace L&DOpens a new window

Does Your XR Upskilling Strategy Account for Employee Preferences?

There are no two ways about it – if your upskilling strategy is only ticking the boxes and doing the bare minimum, you will struggle to achieve a future-ready workforce. The strategy must be designed keeping in mind employees’ preferences, their own understanding of the future of workOpens a new window , and their own perception of their career developmentOpens a new window .

Alberto Lopez, a senior motion designer at Viasat (a telecom company) and a Circuit Stream user, tells us how AR and VR are revolutionizing the telecommunications landscape: “It’s both scary and thrilling to be a part of the emerging AR market. As we develop apps that track users’ biometric data, it’s important to be aware of and mitigate any unforeseen consequences it might cause.”

As we always say, there has to be some personal effort in gaining new skills for the future. Alberto’s training was sponsored by his company, but taking the training was a choice he made. He adds, “A lot of the technical skills I use in my current role overlap with VR/AR development, so having a 3D animation background helped immensely during the course.”

Wegener, a student of Circuit Stream and a self-employed professional, took the personal initiative to take the virtual reality course the organization offers. She tells us, “Virtual reality is an up-and-coming area in the architectural world, and I am sure that having skills in virtual reality design and development will help me find new clients.” Now that she has completed the course, she confirms feeling more up to date with this new world of technology. “Now, it remains up to me to stay curious and stay informed,” she adds.

The right upskilling strategy will account for your employees’ learning preferences and their own knowledge about the field they want to upskill in. And the training that follows will leave them feeling better prepared for whatever upheavals the industry might experience as it evolves and undergoes digital transformation.

That’s why it is so critical to factor in XR technologies when planning your L&D roadmap in 2020, ensuring that the skills your employees gain last well beyond the new year!

Does your 2020 upskilling strategy include immersive and extended reality technology? Tell us why (or why not!) on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you.