SIMIAN Supports Project Zero With Scaffolding Taster Day at LASC
24th May 2022
Late last month, the SIMIAN team welcomed a delegation of young people from Project Zero to our London Academy of Sustainable Construction (LASC).
What is Project Zero?
Project Zero is an initiative, founded by Stephen Barnabis, that aims to reduce the number of young people being killed by knife crime, to zero. They do this by working with people from the local community to create opportunities, network and take part in creative programmes.
Having had a brief taste of the CWIC CONVERT VR software utilised for training at LASC, during an Open Day back in February, Project Zero expressed interest in having a more detailed insight into this way of learning. From this we approached the organisation with a proposed workshop and, with the support of our Administration Assistant, Abu Shohid, set a date for a taster workshop.
What did the Taster Day involve?
In partnership with CWIC Wales and CITB, the Virtual Reality Modules that members of Project Zero were taken through were developed by Altrad for the Oculus Quest VR headset.
The modules explore various aspects of working at height, including the dangers and components involved. Attendees were taken through four modules:
- Working at height awareness
- Scaffolding component identification
- Scaffolding assembly
- Scaffolding inspection and legal requirements
Take a look at their video diary of the day here:
Trip to London Academy Sustainable Construction (LASC) @simianrisk tester session scaffolding. VR in employment, #digitaltalent @LondonYouth @wfcouncil #pzemployment #DiversityEqualityInclusion pic.twitter.com/5tMQ9IJTuR
— Project Zero WF (@ProjectZeroWF1) April 29, 2022
“The team from LASC and CONVERT really looked after our young men from Project Zero during our visit. They gained an amazing insight in both working at heights / scaffolding industry as well as the use of VR in employment and training.
The taster session sparked their interest and they were all keen to learn more. We look forward to bringing more groups down to you as part of our employment program.” – Stephen Barnabis, Project Zero.
On behalf of the entire SIMIAN team, we would like to say a huge thank you to the Project Zero team for taking part in our workshop; it was a pleasure to work with an organisation that does such wonderful work within the community.
For individuals interested in beginning a career within the construction industry, particularly those with an interest in working at height, this innovative way of working has proven to be a huge success, and one that the SIMIAN team is excited to continue to incorporate into our training courses.
If you would like to learn more about our training courses, contact the SIMIAN team today on 0345 602 2418.