Virtual reality is now being used to find workers for the construction industry.
Just by putting on a pair of goggles you can learn about truck driving and operating heavy machinery, and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is hoping it'll help fill vacancies.
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Two workers may not be wearing hard hats or work boots, but they're still working on a virtual reality worksite, operating heavy machinery and completing roadworks.
What they're doing can be seen on a screen, but for them, the virtual construction training feels real. James Coddington and a 12-person team developed the software over six months. It's tailored to the construction industry, taking the user through a 30-minute work scenario.
It will now be used to train potential workers, giving them basic skills and health and safety information to get onto a real construction site.
"Getting someone onto a construction site at the moment can take five to seven days, and we're reducing that down to 45 minutes," says Coddington.
The Government has invested more than $800,000, and it will now be rolled out in conjunction with the MSD.
Watch the video for the full Newshub report.
