Virtual reality is changing how apprentices learn, and it might just be the future of construction training. Daniel Williamson finds out how the technology is shaping the next wave of tradies.

Jenny is 35 feet in the air. She finds herself standing on a narrow steel beam, with nothing but a harness clipped to a temporary rig. Below her is the blur of a construction site, machinery, concrete and scaffolding. Everything is slightly pixelated, but she could swear she was getting vertigo.

Jenny isn’t in any real danger. She’s not on a job site. She’s standing safely in a virtual reality (VR) training room at TAFE Queensland, with her headset on, learning to work safely at heights before she climbs a real scaffold.

VR is no longer just a futuristic idea borrowed from video games or movies. In high school, one of my favourite books was Ready Player One, which Steven Spielberg himself later adapted into an epic blockbuster. But the technology imagined in that story – immersive, interactive and fully explorable worlds – is no longer science fiction. It’s turning up in trade schools, job sites and training centres across Australia.

From safety simulations to site inductions, VR and augmented reality (AR) are quickly becoming powerful tools in the way the construction industry trains its workers, and the results are starting to speak for themselves.

One of the companies leading this charge is Brisbane-based Next World, which, described by chief executive Hayden Morison, is the Netflix of VR workplace training.

Founded in Australia and now active in 17 countries, the company offers a subscription-based platform that delivers immersive VR modules for safety and soft-skills training. Their system includes a cloud-based analytics engine that captures detailed data on trainee performance and behaviour.

Next World says its clients have seen tangible results, including a measurable improvement in hazard awareness in the workplace, a 400% time efficiency saving, 275% improvement in confidence to apply skills and 375% increase in emotional connection to the learning content.

“Construction workers or individuals in high-risk industries need better quality safety training. That’s what we’re solving,” Hayden says.

Box Hill Institute (BHI) in Melbourne is already using AR in courses across plumbing, electrotechnology, automotive and more. Students can practice fire safety or experiment with electrical circuits, all without touching hazardous materials or damaging real equipment.

BHI is utilising AR to help apprentices build confidence and practice safely before handling real equipment, a key strategy given that today’s students are already familiar with digital environments.

BHI director of trades, Stuart Hoxley, says that through simulations, students can practice their skills and learn how to operate valuable equipment without putting themselves or the equipment at risk.

“It’s used for safety practices, broadly speaking. For instance, we use AR to teach apprentices fire safety management because they can experiment with different fire retardants to extinguish various fuel loads safely, without being exposed to hazardous materials or fire,” Stuart says.

In Perth, creative tech company Viewport XR builds VR kits specifically for site-based training. Rugged and portable, the kits include multiple Meta Quest headsets and their own 5G access point, designed to be tossed in the back of a ute and be taken straight to a worksite.

“We encourage clients to think of expanding their reach beyond training centres and classroom-type setups,” Viewport XR creative division lead Bjorn Hevroy says.

Viewport XR’s training modules go beyond theoretical exercises. Using photorealistic digital twins and interactive replicas of real construction sites, trainees can safely rehearse high-risk tasks or emergency procedures before setting foot on-site. For companies like Woodside and Alcoa, Viewport XR has recreated complex industrial environments in VR, allowing teams to practice evacuation routes or navigate unfamiliar infrastructure.

One recent development helped Woodside’s staff at its Karratha facility train for emergency evacuation procedures in a fully simulated version of the plant. Staff followed correct wayfinding and safety protocols, gaining critical environmental familiarity and insight without disrupting operations or facing real danger.

“XR training offers zero-risk exposure to hazardous environments, while building spatial familiarity through repetition,” Bjorn says.

“It removes the logistical barriers of traditional methods and provides 24/7, repeatable access to high-quality training.”

The scalability of VR is also appealing to many in the construction industry. Viewport’s XR kits are designed for flexibility; they can be used in a classroom, a training centre or directly onsite. Each kit can be remotely updated and managed, meaning trainers don’t need to be tech experts to use them effectively.

“We build our solutions as companions to traditional on-site and classroom learning. Not replacement, enhancements,” Bjorn adds.

Hayden echoes a similar voice, stating that although there is always a technology gap, the key part is educating trainers how to use the technology and teach with it, and make those students feel comfortable.

“It’s getting easier with the greater adoption of VR. In conjunction with some sort of practical training, is where VR will work best,” he says.

Academic research backs that idea. A recent study led by Associate Professor for Digital Pedagogies in Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice (CIESJ) and Academic Lead for Digital Research Infrastructure at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kate Thompson, compared traditional safety training with a VR-based alternative for the ‘Working Safely at Heights’ unit. The test was done as part of the greater project run by Kate titled ‘Virtual Reality Training in Construction: A comparative study of its effectiveness compared to traditional methods.’

The findings were clear: The VR group reported greater engagement, stronger concentration and higher retention of key safety concepts.

“The VR training environment that we designed for our study was to provide participants with many opportunities to have agency – to be able to make decisions about their learning, mainly through the interactive features,” she says.

“Many participants commented that they could proceed with the VR training at their own pace and from their perspective, with more control. They could pause and have time to think before acting.”

Kate also states that, in addition, participants were able to repeat a task until they could demonstrate they could complete it correctly.

Although demonstrating its effectiveness in some situations, Kate stresses that it simply can’t replace specific aspects of hands-on training, like what Hayden and Stuart say.

“I think that the other thing that VR/AR is beneficial for is to provide opportunities for learners to experience situations that are rare but important for learning, so an example might be a safety breach of some kind or an emergency in which they must react. This provides them with an authentic learning experience,” she says.

Apprentices from BHI have shared their enthusiasm for the technology but make clear that it can’t simply replace traditional aspects of learning.

“I like that you can experiment with different techniques using AR to find one that works best for you. It shows you exactly what to do in a procedure so you can mirror skills in real-life practicals,” 19-year-old Rowville apprentice, Jarrod Benney, says.

BHI apprentice Caleb Shilling, 24, echoes this thought: “It’s a good visual aid, but it won’t replace teachers. I like being able to ask questions, but VR helps reinforce the procedures we learn in class,” he says.

While there is a place where VR training tools and the traditional hands-on approach can work seamlessly together, industry leaders are already eyeing the next wave: generative AI, adaptive feedback, haptic interfaces and wearable augmented reality.

“We’re really excited about the integration of AI and VR technology,” Hayden says.

“Imagine a ChatGPT-like agent inside your VR headset – a virtual trainer that knows everything about the topic, and you can talk to it in your voice. That’s where we’re headed.”

At Viewport XR, Bjorn envisions job sites where smart glasses overlay blueprints directly into the worker’s field of vision, or daily toolbox meetings guided by interactive 3D models. AR won’t just be for training, it’ll become part of everyday operations.

Hayden reiterates that there will always be a technology gap (repeated above), and the challenge ahead is not a technical one.

“We call it crossing the chasm, helping organisations and educators become confident using these tools. But the adoption curve is speeding up.”

Simply put, VR and AR are reshaping how the construction industry at large trains its workforce. While not replacing physical experience, nor eliminating the role of tradespeople, teachers or mentors, it provides a flexible, scalable and safe way to prepare trainees for the real thing – and help experienced workers sharpen their skills without downtime or danger.

“Like any other technology, AR/VR is just a tool,” Stuart says.

“But it can build confidence, reduce waste and prepare students for the real world.”

And for those like Jenny, 35 feet up on a simulated steel beam, that difference might be what helps her balance when it matters most.