PetroSims Simulation Training

Published - Wednesday, 17 March, 2010

An innovative learning solution for the energy industry

Today's oil and gas training has come a long way, evolving and improving their industry standards to produce the best and most productive skills. The people is the most valuable asset to the energy industry, hence training is a vital element to this industry. Today's organisations have various types of training tools from lecture-based, practical training, eLearning, LMS (Learning Management System), and other multimedia tools such as videos to high-end simulation rooms.

As more new generation enters this industry's workforce, the more important it is to continue evolving training strategies and plans to produce a range of talented skills. The way the new generation learns and work may be quite different from the past generation. They are motivated with technology and their social lifestyle demonstrates it quite clearly with their constant mobile connectivity, from social networking sites like Facebook or Linkedin; to multiple player gaming activities with similiar interests all over the world.

3D visual is widespread in the gaming sector and it is on almost every desktop or notebook of today's generation. It is only natural for 3D technology to be applied in education, enabling this digitally-connected generation to relate with the relevant learning materials more effectively. Known as simulation training or serious games, this innovative training tool is starting to penetrate other mainstream industries including the energy industry.

This coming March 2010, Kea Studios will be launching PetroSims; a simulation training targeting the oil and gas industry at the Getenergy 2010 (Global Education and Training for Energy) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia . The first simulation training module that will be showcased is the Offshore Orientation (Safety Briefing) module where it enables trainees to explore and familiarise themselves with the platform environment and safety procedures. Trainees learn about different types of PPE used by equipping their virtual self.They experience all types of realistic scenarios such as fighting fire, man overboard, platform abandonment, hazard identification etc. Trainees can make mistakes in this virtual environment, but they cannot afford to do so in a real one. Most importantly, competency of the trainee can be assessed and evaluated through the actions and responses he makes when faced with these test scenarios.

PetroSims simulation training is an ideal complement to the existing training ecosystem that includes with eLearning, LMS, practical training, lecture-based or other multimedia tools.

Benefits of Simulation Training

1. Increase Operational Efficiency
In a virtual environment, it brings clarity and uniformity where trainees will be able to see, hear and experience realistic scenarios and still be safe. Simulation training is interactive and engaging, making it easier for trainees and returnees to retain information; hence able to apply what they have learnt in real life.

2. Competency Assessments
Simply being trained is no longer enough, employees must be able to demonstrate that they can apply their knowledge and skills to the standard required. With various test scenarios presented in simulation training, trainers and trainees are able to assess the user’s task performance in real-time. Personnel will also be able to understand the entire work process flow and their colleagues’ roles and responsibilities.

3. Customisation with Cost-effectiveness
The cost-effectiveness of simulation training can be delivered because of these reasons below.

• No specialised hardware required
  Our simulation training courses do not require expensive specialised hardware. Instead they run on standard PC hardware (desktops or laptops) which are more affordable and accessible to everyone.
• Independent Learning
  The role-playing and online feature also encourage self-learning. This means that there is high frequency use without depending on the availability of trainers, and increase cost of training.

PetroSims simulation training can be applied in other subject areas such as:

• HSE Training (eg. Offshore Orientation, Fire Fighting, Permit to Work)
• Technical Operations (eg. Separators, Compressors, Drilling, Distillers)
• Management (eg. Leadership, Risk & Decision Analysis)
• Language (eg. Industry Terms & Definitions, Local Customs)

Kea Studios believe simulation training will redefine how people learn and develop skills. It empowers users and enriches their skills with innovative learning and teaching paradigms. We expect this technology to become mainstream and has the capabilities of becoming an industry standard for learning and training programs in the near future. This includes application in various industries across the board such as Medical/Healthcare, Construction, Police Force, Public Sectors, Education, Corporate and much more.

Simulation training is no longer the future for training and development. It is today’s training technology and solution for various industries. For high-risk industries such as the oil and gas, it is even more vital to look at simulation training as part of any core training and human capital development.

Kea Studios

Kea Studios is an independent simulation training developer that creates immersive learning experiences using real-world problems. With our leading-edge game technologies, we deliver off-the-shelf and customised learning solutions that provides learning efficiency, cost effectiveness; enabling corporations to improve their work performance. Kea Studios is from Miri, and currently based in Sarawak. It is a MSC-status company, and is supported by Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Multimedia Development Economic Corporation (MDeC).

You can read the original article at GetEnergyEvent.com