Now, more than ever before, there’s a real demand for high-quality virtual experiences. Be it in gaming, socialisation or the world of fitness, more people are beginning to seek better immersive and shared experiences beyond the physical spaces they inhabit. This shift has come with countless opportunities for people and brands to build and explore alternate and virtual realities, and the ITCILO is not left out. The ITCILO has been working on immersive technology to revolutionize how work is delivered and this effort has not gone unnoticed.

On October 11, Reality Labs at Meta held an online event to share the latest update on the VR ecosystem. In the keynote, Andrew Bosworth, CTO of Meta and Head of Reality Labs, in conversation with Mark Zuckerberg, mentioned the ITCILO and Arthur Digital as pioneers in the context of virtual work.

The virtual reality (VR) experience referenced is part of the Employers Young Professionals Academy (EYPA), an ongoing collaboration the ITCILO has with Arthur digital to deliver training and workshops through a virtual office space on Quest 2. 

The EYPA is an EU Funded project aimed at taking the issue of staff development for Employers Organisations’ (EOs) young professionals further by providing practical skills in order to strengthen both personal and organisational capacity. The project aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of high-potential professionals, promote an understanding of the European dimension of industrial relations and of the business environment among future EOs leaders, and create a network among European EOs' professionals. The first edition of the Academy took place in 2012 and the Academy has been organized every year since.

The EYPA online modules covered the current challenges impacting the European Economy. The modules were segmented into 3 weeks, between Aug 29 and Sept 16. This included one session of VR each week, with employers’ representatives from 19 European economies, as well as representatives from Business Europe.

In 2021, the EYPA was redesigned and turned into a fully online VR programme to include social dialogue role-playing simulations delivered through Arthur. During the interactive session, discussions revolved around negotiating social protection rights for platform workers — a very momentous topic both in the ILO and the EU.

The sessions were enriching, not only in terms of VR but also because of the analysis and discussions about the European Economy and its current challenges. By bringing people together in this way, the ITCILO is remoulding social experiences, changing the way learning is delivered and making significant contributions towards a future where work is more evenly distributed.