New Alberta company aims to ease skilled labour shortage with virtual reality trades training

Virtual Trades has simulation-based training in 16 trades

An Alberta-based technology company is betting virtual reality can help address one of the province’s biggest workforce challenges. Virtual Trades Inc. officially launched Wednesday, offering immersive, simulation-based skilled trades training designed to help employers, unions and training providers prepare more workers for careers in the construction industry. The company says its training platform, delivered in partnership with Austin, Texas-based Interplay Learning, is designed to complement traditional apprenticeship and classroom instruction by allowing learners to practice skills in a virtual environment before stepping onto a job site.

“We are bringing immersive trades training to Western Canada so employers, educators, unions and community partners can build capability faster, improve safety, and create stronger pathways into the skilled construction trades,” said founder Shaun Went. Virtual Trades offers simulation-based training across 16 core trades, including plumbing, electrical and HVAC, as well as construction safety courses. Learners can access the training using virtual reality headsets, laptops or tablets, allowing them to build skills and confidence without the cost of physical training facilities or adding on-site risk, the company says.

Went said the virtual reality component bolsters learning retention by requiring learners to physically complete tasks rather than simply watching instructional material. “You actually have to move around (and) action certain tasks,” he said. “That really is a game changer.

“The VR, for me personally, is where we really win.” The goal is to address Alberta’s skilled labor woes by increasing training efficiency, reducing learning curves and enhancing safety and worker competency, according to Went. “This is about more than technology.

It is about expanding access, accelerating readiness and helping more people succeed in high-demand careers that are essential to our economy and our communities,” he said. Went added the platform is designed to make training more accessible by allowing users to complete lessons whenever and wherever it fits into their schedules. “To be able to deliver a course that learners are able to do in their living room prior to arriving on site, or after they put their kids to bed, was really an important part of breaking down some barriers to entry,” he said.

“It allows people to learn and develop their own skills, and increase their net worth as as professionals.” Went said the idea for the company grew out of his own experience after immigrating to Canada. A welder by trade, he found it difficult to transfer his credentials and navigate the Red Seal certification process.

“It was a pain point because I wanted to get (the) paper, and I couldn’t get it because the current Red Seal obligations are very hard to navigate as a newcomer,” he said. While Virtual Trades does not provide accreditation or replace apprenticeship programs, Went said the platform is intended to complement existing training by giving apprentices opportunities to practice tasks they may not regularly perform on the job. The launch comes as governments and industry grapple with growing labour shortages in the skilled trades in Alberta and across Canada.

In April, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $6-billion, five-year initiative aimed at recruiting, training and hiring up to 100,000 skilled trades workers nationwide. The federal government estimates Canada will need more than 1.4 million new trades workers by 2033 to build housing, expand transit systems and develop energy infrastructure. In Alberta, BuildForce Canada has projected the construction industry will required roughly 59,000 new workers by 2034.

It is estimated about 43,400 of Alberta’s skilled trades workers are expected to retire by that time, with a projected shortfall of about 15,400 workers.