Lanes Group & Thames Water

CLIENT
Lanes Group & Thames Water

OBJECTIVE
SHIIFT was tasked with creating a blended training solution for Thames Water and Lanes Group plc, with the expressed goal of improving employee recruitment, career retention, and to improve the outcomes of workplace training.

APPROACH
Our team made use of the existing Igloo 360º facility as well as layer-on hardware and software applications to create a stimulating, realistic and interactive setting for employees and trainees. The solution was designed to engage participants in a more hands-on, immersive setting and to explore different outcomes.

The Problem

Our clients, Thames Water and Lanes Group plc, were experiencing a net loss of talent that was not offset by recruitment. In order to reduce employee turnover and to retain skilled labour, the client needed a solution that could improve outcomes in a practical and efficient way.

Many organizations have faced significant recruitment challenges during the Great Resignation, thus prompting innovative solutions for retaining talent and for onboarding talent using cost-effective and practical solutions. SHIIFT was retained to provide a fully blended learning experience for employees and trainees that could be simultaneously interactive and memorable whilst yielding the desired results in employee retention and attracting new talent to offset previous losses.

The Solution – A shared VR Blended training SIMULATION

SHIIFT developed a custom-built app for a shared multiplayer virtual reality training experience enabling innovative gameplay across a 360° viewing screen.

• This training did not require users to wear a VR headset which allowed for a more effective and collaborative group training experience
• Users physically enter a room (Igloo VR Dome) and share a space that transforms the world around them into the virtual environment,  akin to the immersive CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) systems used in Scientific research, Engineering and design, Geospatial analysis, Military simulations, etc. The more recent Igloo technology we worked with is more flexible and practical for users.
• Employees were trained in end-to-end processes, navigating them through key stages and processes
• The solution was equipped with background analytics enabling the client to highlight areas of training that employees find challenging, and focus training efforts in those areas.

Which services did you DEPLOY?

An interactive Igloo program was used for the purpose of teaching new recruits about site management and road safety. Participants were tasked with the positioning of signs, cones, and any required Traffic Management Systems whilst also avoiding hazards or inconsistencies in the simulated environment.

Development engine

The project was developed using the well-known Unity game engine to create all elements and virtual assets. The project was developed as an app and did not require the use of a VR headset.