Virtual and yet present
With trainhub, tepcon offers a virtual training center for sustainable classroom training.
Face-to-face training is increasingly challenging companies. Simple video conferences and online meetings are functionally limited, have only limited interactivity, and are not very sustainable in terms of knowledge transfer. trainhub closes the gap and exceeds the level of classic face-to-face events with virtual trainings.
Every year, German companies invest billions in the acquisition of new, modern production facilities. Growing global competitive pressure is a key motivation to keep their own production permanently at the cutting edge of technology. However, investing in new machines and systems is not enough. In order to be able to use them effectively in the long term, it is above all necessary to qualify employees comprehensively and efficiently for their operation, maintenance and repair. According to the Institute of the German Economy (IW), German companies invest more than 1,200 euros per year and employee in an average of more than 18 hours of training. To date, the focus has been on so-called learning in the process of work, which includes practical instruction by qualified specialists and external trainers as well as classic workshops. However, this focus on training on the job, within the framework of classic classroom events, is increasingly presenting companies with problems.
It is not just Corona that has made it increasingly difficult to implement such classroom training efficiently. Decentralized work, complex learning content and expanded knowledge of efficient teaching and learning methods are increasingly presenting classroom training as unsustainable and economically unattractive in every respect. The lack of specialists capable of carrying out the necessary training measures makes their practical implementation even more difficult. At the same time, however, the experience of the last two years in particular has shown that simple online formats, such as video conferencing and static e-learning, can only replace classroom instruction to a limited extent.
With trainhub, the specialist for innovative digitization solutions tepcon GmbH combines the technological possibilities of virtual reality with contemporary multimedia learning content and location-independent classroom training in a virtual training center.
All types of multimedia training content are used here. This includes photos and graphics, videos or documents as well as interactive 3D models of training objects. As a framework, trainhub offers a virtual training room in which not only the learning content is presented in a memorable way, but training participants and instructors also meet in the form of interactive, individually designed avatars. Functionally, trainhub is based on proven methods of classical face-to-face teaching and transfers them technologically into the virtual space. In this way, participants can communicate with each other and learn both individually and collaboratively on 3D work models. "Students" and "teachers" are given the opportunity to check their individual learning progress through direct contact and feedback and to deepen content as needed. The facilitators have technical options that are also derived from a classic classroom situation. If necessary, they can use a virtual laser pointer, mute individual participants or even block them in case of doubt, or focus the training on selected content by teleporting the avatars. Participants can also use a laser pointer, for example, to accompany detailed questions or to draw attention to questions by hand signals.
"We were not primarily interested in virtualizing classroom training one-to-one, even though trainhub opens up all the possibilities for the avatars of training participants that characterize classic classroom training. Rather, trainhub offers a clear extension of contemporary employee training: location-independent, efficient, environmentally friendly, economical, and with possibilities that are unthinkable as demonstrations on the object."