The AHR Expo Innovation Awards is a yearly competition, honoring the most creative and unique products and technology presented at the Expo. During this world renowned HVAC expo, products compete in categories such as building automation, heating, plumbing, software, ventilation, and more, with winners chosen based on a variety of qualities like creativity, application, and market impact.
Interplay Learning won the Software award for SkillMill™, our online and on-demand training course catalog designed for skilled trade professionals to train via a mobile device, computer, or in virtual reality.
SkillMill™ uses state-of-the-art 3D simulations to create an immersive learning environment for users, and is tackling the skills gap head-on by changing the game of skilled trade training. The skilled trades industry is facing a growing skills gap issue. In the next 10 years, 60% of the skilled trades workforce in the USA will retire. And over the last 7 consecutive years, skilled trades positions are the hardest to fill globally— meaning the problem is compounding more, every day. Also, 74% of firms predict a shortfall of qualified skilled trades workers if something doesn’t change soon. SkillMill™ is the change the industry critically needs.
“We’re incredibly honored and humbled to receive this Innovation Award. Our team is excited about AHR 2020 and being able to showcase our software, which is already making a huge impact in the HVAC community,” said Doug Donovan, CEO of Interplay Learning.
“Our software is the first-of-its-kind, an online training that technicians will actually use because the simulations mimic on-the-job training. As a company, we’ve helped more than 75,000 people build key technical skills, so we’re confident in our ability to change the way the HVAC industry trains its professionals.”
