TasTAFE implements virtual reality simulators for metalwork students (25/9/24)

TasTAFE has implemented 12 new virtual reality simulators to teach students the basics of metalwork. Video by Aaron Smith (25/9/24)

Transcript

00:00So the new welding simulators that we've brought in across the state are the first ones of their

00:06kind in Australia, so we're really excited to get that technology in. It's a $400,000 investment

00:12by the state government and TasTAFE into these simulators, so we're already seeing positive

00:18results and better student engagement. It really puts us at the forefront of this sort of technology,

00:25the interaction between the students, their peers and the connectivity between those simulators and

00:32what they're doing in the workplace is really positive and we see it as a benefit of the

00:37industry going forward. The technology allows them to learn in a classroom environment out

00:43of the workshop, so it's better simulation for the teachers to be involved with as well,

00:48so they can actually learn quicker because they can pick up on their weld faults and what they're

00:53not doing correctly a lot earlier, rather than spending a couple of days in the workshop and then

00:58finding out that what they were doing wasn't quite right. I think this is technology we need to have

01:03and engage with. It's already proving that it can actually help the students learn quicker.

01:10You know, we know the costs are going up, so if it can save us 10% of material costs, that's a

01:14huge benefit for the organisations. So as part of the government's investments that we've seen

01:20into TAFE, there's $10 million that's going towards significant equipment upgrades right

01:26across the north of our state, here in Allenvale as well as in Burnie. These investments are about

01:33bringing more relevant technology to some of our key manufacturing and construction trades, so that

01:41when our learners are here at TAFE, they're gaining experience on the actual equipment that they'll be

01:46using every day in their businesses, in their workplaces and around our state.