"Learning through Immersive exceeds Service Engineer's Expectation."
Toyota Motor Corporation, a globally renowned automaker, is dedicated to the continuous development of its human resources, guided by the principle of “Personal development through manufacturing.” With a wide range of research and development, production, and sales facilities worldwide, Toyota places utmost importance on nurturing capable individuals who can be relied upon, demonstrate their expertise, excel in their roles, and effectively educate others.
"Tell us about your work?"
As part of my role, I oversee the design and implementation of training programs specifically tailored for instructors at overseas distributors and dealers. I am also involved in the planning and development of Immersive Learning initiatives, leveraging innovative metaverse technology to enhance the learning experience.
Our primary focus is on cultivating the career paths of our engineers and bolstering our system for nurturing highly skilled professionals who can effectively apply their expertise in real-world scenarios. Through the utilization of Immersive Learning technology, I am dedicated to creating futuristic and efficient training programs that overcome the limitations of time and distance, ensuring that our engineers receive comprehensive and engaging education regardless of their location.
"Before the development of Immersive Learning, what challenges were faced in engineer training?"
In the past, dealers and distributors worldwide relied heavily on group training sessions conducted by the head office or the manufacturer to provide advanced training that was difficult to deliver on-the-job. However, this approach presented several challenges.
One major challenge was the availability of actual products for training purposes. Arranging and coordinating the logistics of having physical vehicles for training sessions proved to be complex and time-consuming. Additionally, the associated costs of reserving meeting rooms, venues, and procuring training materials and parts added financial strain.
Participants also faced financial burdens, particularly those traveling from overseas to attend the manufacturer's training sessions. Expenses related to travel, accommodation, and other associated costs needed to be borne by the participants themselves.
Moreover, external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and social conditions often disrupted the feasibility of conducting group training sessions. These unforeseen circumstances made it difficult to ensure the continuity of training programs and hindered the ability to provide consistent and effective learning opportunities.
To overcome these challenges and provide a more efficient and accessible training solution, the implementation of Immersive Learning has emerged as a promising alternative. With Immersive Learning, dealers and distributors can overcome the limitations of physical training sessions, reducing costs, ensuring accessibility, and maintaining training continuity even in the face of external disruptions.
"What changes have you observed in offline training after the development of Immersive Learning?"
At present, Immersive Learning is in its trial stage, but it has already shown promising results. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to provide overseas instructors with an immersive training experience equivalent to offline group sessions through metaverse platform.
By leveraging Immersive Learning, we have eliminated the necessity for overseas travel, resulting in cost savings and increased convenience for participants. The requirement for arranging physical vehicles for training has also been eliminated, streamlining the training process, and expanding its scalability.
The online and virtual nature of Immersive Learning has generated significant interest and attracted a larger number of individuals eager to participate in these courses. This indicates the growing recognition and expectation for XR Learning as a transformative training paradigm that provides convenient and accessible learning opportunities.
We are fully committed to meeting these high expectations and continuously enhancing the capabilities of Immersive Learning to deliver comprehensive and impactful training experiences. Our goal is to establish XR Learning as a cutting-edge solution that revolutionizes training methodologies, eliminating travel barriers, and providing convenient participation options for learners worldwide.
"What do you envision the future of training for engineers to be like?"
In parallel with the development of Immersive Learning, we have undertaken surveys to gain insights into the specific needs and challenges faced by engineers in their training journey.
Our research has revealed that many engineers aspire to acquire new skills and advance as professionals. However, their growth is often impeded by the demands of their daily work and the limited learning opportunities available within their regular tasks.
Learning directly from customer's vehicles can sometimes be impractical, particularly when there is no room for error. Additionally, our dealer shops may not always have the exact vehicles required for training purposes. To address these challenges, our objective is to foster a blend of real and virtual training experiences. We aim to develop innovative training materials that enable trainees to learn what they desire and where they prefer, using the vehicles of their choice, without the fear of failure.
By combining the strengths of both real and virtual training approaches, we can provide engineers with a comprehensive and flexible learning environment. This approach ensures that they receive the hands-on experience they need while leveraging the benefits of virtual simulations to enhance their training outcomes.
Through this holistic training approach, we strive to empower engineers to expand their knowledge, sharpen their skills, and excel in their professional development.
"Besides engineers, who are the main users of Immersive Learning, and what are the other benefits?"
Immersive Learning offers a wide range of benefits that extend beyond engineers to encompass dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. By utilizing XR Learning, the barriers associated with conducting group training sessions involving actual products, such as costs, availability, and environmental factors, can be overcome.
We firmly believe that by visualizing and tracking the learning progress and skills of engineers, managers can effectively enhance the training process through metaverse technology. This allows for a more efficient and streamlined approach to training, enabling managers to identify areas of improvement and tailor training programs to individual needs. Our ultimate mission is to create a training environment through metaverse platforms that brings benefits to both training providers and users.
