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WAMITAB launches interactive learning games for waste sector

The Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board (WAMITAB) has joined forces with workplace e-learning platform Academii and grant-funding body Ufi VocTech Trust to develop two interactive learning games for the resources and waste sector.

The games, which were unveiled on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (28 April), were designed to address key barriers to learning about safety at waste sites.

WAMITAB gameThe image-led games focus on hazard awareness and fire evacuation procedures – two important skills areas among waste operatives.

They also aim to overcome language barriers and support those with limited literacy skills, on the back of a discovery phase that found the main barriers to learning were motivation and accessibility – including lack of funding, space on site, time, and limited numeracy and literacy skills.

Rebecca Garrod-Waters, CEO of Ufi, said: “At Ufi VocTech Trust, we champion the power of technology to improve skills for work and deliver better outcomes for all and these games are a brilliant example of the way tech can deliver engaging and effective learning to meet the needs of the workplace.”

Among the companies with which the interactive games were piloted with operatives and managers is Re-Gen Waste.

Jay Moosaye, Head of Commercial Development at Re-Gen Waste, said: “As Chartered members of CIWM, we were delighted to support the development and user testing of WAMITAB's app-based learning.

“The pilot has proven highly valuable to us in many key areas, such as speed and accessibility of training material, immersion and relevance, content absorption and delivery, while transcending language and text-based limitations.”

Steve Lanigan, CEO of Academii, said: “WAMITAB and Re-Gen Waste have been instrumental in seeking to engage learners on safety critical topics using pioneering, dynamic content to help increase awareness and workplace safety through gamified learning.

“The gamified element helps to break down barriers to education and training, promoting a safety message to help reduce workplace injuries in the recycling sector.”

Katie Cockburn, Professional Services Director of WAMITAB, said: “We hope these initial games will provide the blueprint for a vocational learning model which can be utilised in sectors where time is short, funding for learning is limited, and traditional training methods are not addressing some skills gaps which continue to grow.

“We would like to work closely with professional bodies, trade associations, learning providers and employers to identify if these markets could benefit from a similar solution.”