Britain's first virtual reality training course for concrete tool users was opened in Coventry recently.
The ACT-UK Simulation Centre will assist in the tutoring of site managers by allowing them to explore different scenarios - from a housing scheme in the countryside to an urban commercial development - on a 12-metre screen.
Costing £8.7 million, the course is one of only two such programmes in the world and was mostly funded by Advantage West Midlands, although other parties also invested in the scheme.
Sir John Egan, chancellor of Coventry University and chairman of the 1998 Construction Task Force, said in a speech: "[This] launch shows the determination of the industry to further develop its leadership and professionalism."
Courses such as those on offer at the centre may be needed, as the latest Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and Markit Purchasing Managers' Index showed that the construction industry grew in April.
Written by Andrew Miles
