Those who want to know about the emerging virtual world technologies and the benefits these environments can bring to your learning and development programmes, can now – from the comfort of their own desktops – attend the UK Training Directory’s Virtual Training Conference & Exhibition.

This ‘virtual summit’ is scheduled for 15th November, from 10.30am to 2.30pm GMT. To register, create an avatar and view the event details, visit: http://hostavirtualevent.com/tdvirtualexhibition/invite

The event offers avatar networking, exhibition stands and sessions on ‘seminars that impact your business in a changing world’.

Speakers/ contributors include Penny Power, the founder of Ecademy; Henry Jodrell, managing director at Change 4 Profit; John Newton, head of L&D / executive consultant for State of Flux Limited; Mike Long, managing director at Mike Long Associates; Neil French, of Whole Brain Thinking, and Graeme Clark, Project Manager at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Comment: Virtual learning technologies have been around for a long time – going back to the headset-facilitated ‘immersive learning’ of the late ‘90s. In those days, there was a hope that this rather specialised – some might have said ‘nerdy’ – form of learning would take its place alongside more conventional e-learning as part of the mainstream of learning delivery options. This has become true in certain cases – and circumstances – such as where there is a need for scenario-based learning, as in the military or in the case of oil rig safety for example.

Yet these technologies have not made it into the mainstream and still remain largely outside the interest and experience of corporate L&D departments. Maybe the increase in members of Generation Y within the workforce will change this – but, if so, it’s going to take a long time (as Generation Y people become ‘senior’ enough to be in charge of L&D budgets and then want to indulge their taste for computing gaming in a corporate context). At present – and for some time to come in all probability – virtual learning is only virtually relevant to corporate learning.