--- title: "How VR training can boost DEI efforts in your organisation" description: "Why traditional DEI training falls short, and how VR gives diversity, equity and inclusion training a first-person experience that people remember and act on." canonical: https://peopletechrevolution.com/news/vr-training-dei --- [News](https://peopletechrevolution.com/news) · October 2023 # How VR training can boost DEI efforts in your organisation Diversity, equity and inclusion has become a priority for many organisations, and VR training is one of the tools helping them get there, by placing employees inside a scenario where they can learn and reinforce skills through practice. ## The importance of DEI training DEI training earns its keep beyond ethics: organisations that invest in it often see higher employee satisfaction, retention and overall business performance, and inclusion and belonging help attract and retain diverse talent. But traditional DEI training methods have limits and may not create lasting change. Built into an existing program, VR gives people another way to practise the content. ### The limits of traditional DEI training Boring online modules, or worse, humiliating roleplays: a starting point, but one that struggles to engage learners in active practice. A one-time event. Lectures and seminars are often a one-time event employees may not retain. The forgetting curve. Research shows people forget up to 50% of what they learn within an hour, and, according to the [Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgetting_curve), 70% within 24 hours if it is not reinforced. ## How VR can enhance DEI training programs One key advantage of VR in DEI training is its replayability. With VR, users can revisit scenarios and practise responding to different situations repeatedly, reinforcing learning and improving retention. A [study by PwC](https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/emerging-tech/virtual-reality-study.html) found VR-based training more effective at promoting emotional engagement and long-term retention than traditional methods. VR can help employees understand unconscious biases, simulate diverse team dynamics, and practise respectful communication. ### Key considerations when implementing VR PTR's own experience shows VR training for DEI is best delivered with wrap-around sessions. Wrap-around sessions. A structured discussion helps people talk through their experience in a psychologically safe environment. Face-to-face or remote. Face-to-face sessions build community; remote sessions are more convenient, at some cost to interaction. Choosing a headset. The right headset fits the organisation's existing technology, software and hardware. ## Update, August 2026 This article was first published in October 2023. Since then, PTR's DEI-focused VR titles have grown into the [PTR VR Library](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library), part of the wider [XR overview](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr). The [AI roleplay practice](https://peopletechrevolution.com/ai/ai-roleplay-practice) now lets people rehearse these difficult conversations. Want DEI training like this for your own organisation? [Open the contact form](https://peopletechrevolution.com/news/vr-training-dei#contact) Ask our CEO Simon Lowe’s Digital Twin a question ## Related PTR work Where this practice lives on the current site. [Research and evidence. A peer-reviewed example of VR DEI training in practice.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/work/research-evidence)[Immersive training and roleplay. How PTR approaches facilitated VR training.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/training/vr-training-and-roleplay)[The PTR VR Library. The full range of DEI and human skills modules.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/xr/ptr-vr-library)[AI roleplay practice. Rehearsing the kind of difficult conversations this article describes.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/ai/ai-roleplay-practice)[VR training, education and sustainability. Why the same delivery model needs no travel.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/news/vr-education-sustainable-future)[What the Google VR study actually found. A close read of a peer-reviewed VR DEI study.](https://peopletechrevolution.com/news/what-the-google-vr-study-found) ## Sources A summary of the forgetting curve and PwC's comparison of VR, e-learning and classroom training. ### The Forgetting Curve Wikipedia, summarising Ebbinghaus (1885) The retention curve behind the "50% within an hour, 70% within 24 hours" figures. [Read the summary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgetting_curve) ### What does virtual reality and the metaverse mean for training? PwC · 2020 A comparative study of VR-based training against e-learning and classroom delivery. [Read the study](https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/emerging-tech/virtual-reality-study.html)