Case Study

As the Transport & Logistics Industry Skills Council, TDT Australia is committed to supporting the needs of the Transport and Logistics industry through the introduction of innovative training models to manage knowledge and extend and improve traditional training and learning practices.

A relatively recent concept in flexible learning is the use of interactive simulations as an engaging alternative to traditional training & assessment delivery.

TDT Australia came to Simulated Training Systems to develop a training program based on 21 Units from the Transport and Distribution Vocational Education & Training (VET) Training Package called 'Heroes of Industry'. The training would be the first of its kind in Australia delivered in this way and was designed to engage learners in an innovative way as well as promote career pathways in the Transport & Logistics Industry.

Simulated Training Systems developed a fully interactive 3D training simulation for TDT Australia set in a realistic virtual warehouse. To complete the training, learners are required to complete a range of tasks including, sorting and packaging dangerous goods, documenting and recording movements of goods, identifying suspicious packages and dealing with potential security threats. The simulation links the learner to 21 units of competency from Certificates I, II & III of the Transport and Logistics Training Package with learners awarded Virtual Certificates for completing the requisite units of each certificate. 

For HR practitioners, Heroes of Industry is used by new employees as part of their induction program for a much better grasp of basic OH&S practices from day one. Because the training was designed to run on standard desktop computers and could be distributed on a single CD, it could be sent to learners throughout Australia quickly and inexpensively.

Heroes of Industry has some of the same emotionally immersive qualities as computer games but is designed specifically to teach instead of just entertain. The program simulates situations and scenarios that otherwise would be too difficult, too dangerous and too expensive to recreate in the work place and became a very effective way of increasing learner motivation and retention.

Interactive simulations like Heroes of Industry have proven to be very effective learning paradigm providing for situated cognition and learning. They are unique and desirable in a classroom context because they are engaging, promote learner autonomy, meta-cognition and problem solving skills and can reduce instructional time across a range of disciplines.

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