NETCO Launches State of the Art Virtual Reality Training in Ontario

LDS NETCO CNMIE 400

May 24, 2022

The National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO) is pleased to announce that they will be rolling out virtual reality (VR) based training for beginner electrical apprentices at our International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Training Centres in Ontario over the next few months.

The state of the art Virtual Electrical Training (VET) platform was developed by IVRY Technologies, a division of IDEAL Industries (Canada) Corp.  NETCO has secured the rights to offer this program via our training centres in Ontario with the goal to offer it across Canada.

NETCO Executive Director Chris Swick, RSE, says the benefits of this type of training are immense and this is just the beginning. “VR training will assist electrical apprentices in getting proper training that was developed using Canadian standards, in a safe virtual environment. This type of training will eliminate any sort of risk for a new apprentice and will cut down material waste in training centres, and eventually more VR modules will be added to the curriculum” explained Swick.

“Another benefit of this type of training environment is that there is no requirement for large space and the training equipment is highly portable, so training can be done in virtually any setting. We plan to start shipping out the Oculus VR Headsets to our Ontario based IBEW training centres that are on board with this program over the next few weeks. This is a very exciting evolution in the training model in Canada and we are pleased to do this with one of our training partners, Ideal Industries (Canada) Corp.,” said Swick.

“IDEAL Industries is extremely proud to be rolling out our state-of-the-art VET (Virtual Electrical Training) platform to the Ontario market in partnership with NETCO.  Our IVRY Technologies team has worked diligently to produce a learning experience like no other, providing a unique and engaging learning platform for apprentices in a safe and effective manner” says Sean Bernard, National Sales Manager for IDEAL Industries (Canada) Corp.

Delegates to the Annual NETCO conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 27, 28, 2022 will benefit from an educational session ‘Intro to VR Training’ with Sam Jaros, Business Unit Team Lead of IVRY technologies and will be able to see the product firsthand in the NETCO booth at the trade show portion of the conference.

NETCO looks forward to announcing further initiatives in training over the next few months including new courses being added to the Online Apprentice Support Initiatives for Success (OASIS).

Go HERE for more information on NETCO

Related Articles


Latest Articles


Changing Scene

  • Saskatchewan Investing in Skills Training

    Saskatchewan Investing in Skills Training

    March 28, 2025 Guided by Building the Workforce for a Growing Economy: the Saskatchewan Labour Market Strategy, the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training is investing more than $117.0 million in programs and services. “We continue to make training available for Saskatchewan people to prepare for the record number of jobs being created by our growing… Read More…

  • New Skilled Trades and Technology Building for the New Saskatchewan Polytechnic Joseph A. Remai Saskatoon Campus Proceeding to Request for Proposals

    New Skilled Trades and Technology Building for the New Saskatchewan Polytechnic Joseph A. Remai Saskatoon Campus Proceeding to Request for Proposals

    March 28, 2025 Three teams are advancing to the next stage of procurement for the new Skilled Trades and Technology building for the Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Joseph A. Remai Saskatoon Campus. Upon procurement completion, the successful proponent will be awarded the design and construction of the new Trades building under a Design-Build agreement.  “This project is… Read More…

  • New Brunswick Legislation Introduced to Support Interprovincial Labour Mobility

    New Brunswick Legislation Introduced to Support Interprovincial Labour Mobility

    March 28, 2025 The New Brunswick government has introduced legislative amendments to improve labour mobility and reduce interprovincial barriers. “With potential tariff-related disruptions and an uncertain economic climate, workers and businesses need the ability to adapt quickly to quickly changing circumstances,” said Jean-Claude D’Amours, acting minister of post-secondary education, training and labour. “A flexible and… Read More…

  • New Brunswick Electric Vehicle Incentive Will End July 1

    New Brunswick Electric Vehicle Incentive Will End July 1

    March 28, 2025 The New Brunswick provincial government will end its Electric Vehicle Incentive Program on July 1. “This rebate program made it possible for many New Brunswickers to buy an electric vehicle during their introduction to the market, and is helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Finance and Treasury Board Minister René Legacy, who… Read More…