Thames Water and drainage specialists, Lanes Group have recently invested in a new and innovative training facility. The 360-degree igloo projection theatre will allow teams of trainee drainage engineers to instantly see, hear, and experience what it is like to be inside a sewer, without getting their feet wet.
Based at Lanes’ Customer Solutions Centre in Slough, trainees will be immersed in a range of scenarios, including potentially hazardous situations, which will help to develop skills and prepare the team for real-life work in the sewers.
As part of Lanes Group, Lanes Utilities will use the sophisticated facility to train teams working on its contract wastewater network maintenance contract with Thames Water.
In London, Lanes’ teams work on some of the largest and oldest sewers in the United Kingdom, because of which, they often have to overcome some of the toughest challenges that a wastewater engineer can face. Lanes Utilities plans to create a further 20 bespoke videos of different sewer and drain maintenance tasks, to be shown in 360 degrees in the igloo. As the first contractor in the UK to use this kind of facility to train its staff, it will become a key resource for both induction and refresher training for Lanes’ staff.
Andy Brierley, Utilities Director at Lanes Utilities, said: "Just as many industries, such as aerospace, use simulators to test new ideas and ways of working, we can now do the same. Real time streaming of video and data for central control of specific projects or incidents is also on the cards.
"The motivational effect of such an exciting training environment, on new recruits and our most experienced engineers alike, cannot be overestimated. We expect it to help us retain our experienced people and build even stronger teams.”
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