The World’s First Online, On-Demand HVAC Training Catalog Featuring VR and 3D Simulations
Who We Are:
Interplay Learning is an online learning platform offering a catalogue of on-demand, video-based and first-hand, VR-enabled training solutions for HVAC and other skilled trades. With our proprietary software, we can create a wider variety of real-world scenarios and situations quicker and more economically (in only a few weeks rather than months or years), making training easily available to more people.
What We Do:
Interplay Learning is re-imagining the way the HVAC Techs prepare to get to work. Our products make complex skills training cheaper and easier for workers seeking better pay and jobs, more efficient for HVAC companies needing expert employees, and more accessible, so more workers can get to work.
Through our programs:
– We help people advance their careers and capabilities
– We help small businesses grow
– And we ensure the world of skilled trades work works better for everyone.
The Issue:
The skilled trades industry is facing a growing skills gap issue. In the next 10 years, 60% of the skilled trades workforce in the USA will retire. And over the last 7 consecutive years, skilled trades positions have been the hardest to fill globally— meaning the problem is compounding more, every day. In addition, 74% of firms predict a shortfall of qualified skilled trades workers if something doesn’t change soon.
Traditional training, like classroom lectures and ride-alongs, is just not scalable enough to keep up with this growing skills gap. Nor can they prepare HVAC techs fast enough for every situation or scenario they might encounter in the real world. That makes being a better tech harder. It makes ramping up take longer. And it makes career advancement more difficult. Learning is hard. (And expensive. And time-consuming). Fortunately, there’s a better way.
How our Initiatives are Helping:
Powerful, yet (previously) costly technology, that was once only reserved for heavily capitalized industries, like aviation and military is now affordable and accessible to the skilled trades industry. We’re talking about Virtual Reality training.
VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING MEANS:
• Improved training efficiency
• Faster learning, so you can on-ramp new techs quickly
• Fewer errors means less wasted time in the field
• Scalability, so you can grow your team effectively
Immersive learning is a concept that places individuals in an interactive learning environment, either physically or virtually. The goal is to replicate and engage in “real-world” scenarios to teach particular skills or techniques. Immersive Learning Is Proven to Help us to Retain More. (see our eBook attached, “Learning by doing” for an in-depth look at Why VR training is critical for HVAC companies)
Here are some great case studies demonstrating how VR and Sims helped improve memory recall, performance and even helped reduce procedural errors. We broke them down and summarized for easier reading. Feel free to click the link for the full case study.: https://bit.ly/2MN2Rhg
How Our Team Creates World-Class HVAC Training:
Interplay Learning is a company filled with software engineers, game developers, instructional designers, and certainly skilled trades Subject Matter Experts (https://bit.ly/2ZeM9J7). These subject matter experts are vital to our ability in delivering an effective product to our learners. In almost all cases our experts, not only have years of experience in the field, but they also have teaching experience as well. The fact that our experts have an education and technical experience means they are always thinking about our learner’s needs and what will make them more effective in-the-field sooner. We combine our expert’s knowledge and teaching experience with our instructional designer’s expertise to make sure our courses are built in such a way that we maximize the effectiveness of our online and on-demand courses.
Local Initiatives:
Austin is our backyard and we’re heavily focused on initiatives locally that help us grow nationally. For instance, we recently created a “Jumpstart” Career Program with Labor Finders here in the Austin area.
Labor Finders, a large temporary staffing agency for “blue-collar” workers teamed up with Interplay Learning to launch a “Jumpstart” program this past January. Structured like a mini-apprentice program and funded by Labor Finders, candidates were selected to complete a 32-hour intensive training program to learn HVAC skills.
The goal was to create a “tool ready” helper in the HVAC industry, and set them on the path for a promising career while meeting the immediate workforce needs of several HVAC companies. The results were overwhelmingly positive. Each of the trainees passed the HVAC industry’s “Ready to Work” certification exam. Four of the six program graduates were placed in positions in HVAC firms, and two of those have already been offered permanent employment. In exit interviews, the VR component was deemed paramount by both the trainees and the participating firms because of the “experience” which mimics on-the-job requirements.
The “Jumpstart” program was born in Austin and we’re planning to implement it in 14 locations across Texas. It could be rolled out across the country before the end of the year. As we continue to expand our skilled trades course catalogue new opportunities will arise to test in our local market. As an Austin-based tech firm, we take pride in our city and we’re proud to help the city of Austin lead the way as an authority in technology.
Why We can Continue Delivering the Best Training:
We recently welcomed another powerhouse behind our already talented staff. Austin, Texas serial entrepreneur and tech veteran, Sam Decker, joined the Interplay Learning Board of Directors in April 2019. Decker’s tech industry experience spans more than 30 years in both the Internet and Enterprise software sectors. Prior to his startup experiences, Decker led the growth of Dell’s consumer online revenue to $3.5 billion in 1999 and early 2000s. (https://bit.ly/2IxrI3t)
Interplay Learning is an 8-year-old company, growing organically since our inception. Interplay Learning just announced this past May, a Series A funding of $5.5 million led by local Austin, Texas Venture firm S3 Ventures and Wild Basin (https://bit.ly/2Hsu0Bq). We have the unique ability to present a rare combo: the stability of an 8-year-old company with the upside of a start-up.
Gaining Traction:
In more exciting news, also in May, Carrier Corp. announced that To further its goal of providing cutting-edge training materials for dealers and distributors, they will be working with Interplay Learning to create custom virtual reality (VR) training modules. https://bit.ly/2YZqSmF
Awards:
Interplay Learning was named to the latest Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the top fastest-growing private companies in the United States. (https://bit.ly/2KbSqBY) Also, AI Breakthrough has just officially informed us that we have been selected as the winner of the Best Use of VR for Enterprise Applications award in their 2019 AI Breakthrough Awards program (This is not yet public. Please do not release this information).
Company Website: https://www.interplaylearning.com/
Attached is an eBook we wrote called “Learning by Doing”- detailing why VR training is critical to HVAC company success.
In addition, we have also attached case studies of our clients who are actively using our training.
Thank you for considering Interplay Learning and our On-Demand HVAC Training Catalog, Featuring VR and 3D Simulations for the Training initiative of the year award.
Read “Learning By Doing” here:
