Danos has launched a virtual reality (VR) competency assessment and training program for employees. Program development began in late 2018, and full implementation will begin in December 2019. Danos is one of the first companies in the oil and gas industry to use VR for training and assessment. With the technology, Danos will drive down costs for customers while increasing safety and minimizing exposure.

“It’s critical that employees be assessed for competency, and the costs and risks of doing this on site are tremendous,” said owner Eric Danos. “By eliminating the need to send employees offshore or to a remote job site, we can provide savings to our customers in time, cost and unnecessary risk.”

The program curricula use VR software and headsets so employees can see a job site and virtually perform tasks. Trainings and assessments can take place at a Danos or customer office rather than involving travel offshore or to a job site.

By utilizing VR to assess and train employees, Danos is improving efficiencies in both land-based and offshore work environments. Employees undergoing assessment are able to demonstrate that he or she can perform a task rather than simply explaining the steps involved. At the same time, the technology creates an accelerated learning process by allowing employees to see the internal workings of equipment in the program’s animated view.

Danos says that employees are embracing the hands-on, technologically advanced approach to training, and it hopes to appeal to those entering the labor market.

“Millennials are the largest group in our workforce, and they learn differently than previous generations,” says Danos. “We need to attract new employees in a way that resonates with their skills and experience, and VR is one way to do that.”