Upskilling Millennials and Gen-Z with Augmented Reality

Gen-Z and Millennials are not entertained…

Those of us in the millennial generation (born mid-80’s to late-90’s) will all fondly remember the phenomenon that was Pokemon. We collected and coveted the illustrious cards, and played with our friends for hours. Cartoons and movies all played on the hype, and it grew for years.

Then for a while, it seemed to go away. Or rather, us millennials got old and had kids while Gen-Z took the reins. Regardless, Pokemon has a special place in our hearts, as we imagined venturing out into the world to “Catch’em All”.

Then came 2016, and Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go brought our childhood fantasies of venturing into the world, to capture and train Pokemon, to life through the use of augmented reality. You could not look outside without seeing people in droves fighting to capture the rarest of specimens.

Even now, Pokemon Go is huge, having generated billions in revenue from its over 500 million users globally.

It was the latest advances in technology that had millennial adults enjoying these nostalgic trips to their childhood.

Adulting and the disconnect from recreational technology

Through popular culture we see the relevance of augmented reality, whether through series and films like “Star Trek”, blockbusters like “Iron Man”, and global games like Pokemon Go.

Yet when the credits roll and regular responsibilities rear their heads, we find ourselves working in environments that harken back to a time when this technology did not exist. This is especially prevalent in the process control industry.

Would companies see more engagement from their recruiting efforts if the work environment could start to resemble the recreational one?

Appealing to the next generation…

Working with whiteboards, spreadsheets and antiquated graphics do not really indicate that an organization is forward-thinking. According to this article from Forbes, one of the top strategies for attracting talent is to demonstrate a commitment to future-proofing your business. After all, an organization that prepares for the future becomes a place where someone could spend their career.

Attention spans are shrinking

Even a cursory look at the attention span of Gen-Z, which is around 8 seconds, it becomes painfully obvious that tedious and drawn-out training is not going to be effective. Adapting the learning tools to the ways that Gen-Z learns, according to this article, are crucial to upskilling the next generation.

Embracing a new way of learning

Industry needs to get away from this notion that phones and digital tools are a distraction by embracing the way that this new generation absorbs and understands information. According to this article, Gen-Z learns best by DOING. It is hard to imagine a better way to learn than to “do” through the lens of augmented reality.

(And before you give the attention span of Gen-Z too much grief, Gen-Y wasn’t doing much better with their 12 second attention span…)

Welcome technology into your organizations

Imagine training not in an augmented environment but in a dingy classroom in front of a slide deck. Companies that stagnate and are unable to attract top talent are ones that do no welcome in technological advances.

Great technology not only leads to operational improvements through effective upskilling, but it creates an environment where people are excited to come and work.

Build an environment that reflects their future

The reality in 2021 is this. Businesses that do not build systems and infrastructure to attract and retain young talent are going to suffer turnover to organizations that do. For the process industry, that means investing in modern tools like augmented reality and simulation.

Imagine the possibilities of being able to facilitate remote work and training through the capabilities built into augmented reality.