Sommario
The TEXIVOS – TEsting XR4ED In VOcational Schools pilot project, led by R2M Solution in collaboration with Scuola Edile di Bologna, has successfully concluded. Over twelve months of experimentation, the project demonstrated how Extended Reality (XR) technologies, and in particular Virtual Reality (VR), can transform vocational education and training in the construction sector.
TEXIVOS enabled students, teachers, and trainers to experience an innovative educational approach designed to be safer, more immersive, and better aligned with the needs of younger generations. The use of XR technologies, with a strong focus on VR, was conceived as a concrete solution to enhance the effectiveness of training pathways and strengthen the preparation of construction sector professionals.
The project originated from the need to address long-standing challenges in the construction industry: a significant skills mismatch, still-limited levels of digitalisation, and high dropout rates in technical and vocational education pathways. TEXIVOS responded to these challenges by proposing a training model that integrates technical-operational content, safety competencies, and immersive technologies, making learning more intuitive, accessible, and aligned with the ways in which new generations acquire knowledge.
The EXTRA methodology and immersive training modules
Within this context, the project validated the EXTRA (EXtended TRAining) methodology, which provides a clear framework for integrating EdTech solutions into vocational training programmes. Using the XR4ED World Builder environment, two VR training modules were developed:
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a safety-focused module, allowing learners to experience high-risk scenarios—such as working at heights—in a completely risk-free environment;
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a technical-operational module, enabling the visualisation of construction processes, three-dimensional models, and work sequences that are often difficult to interpret using traditional teaching methods.
Thanks to these tools, students were able to observe, explore, and understand construction site activities in a more direct and tangible way, overcoming the abstract nature of theoretical learning and gaining a stronger awareness of correct operational and safety procedures.
Project validation and results
The validation sessions involved 58 end users, including students, teachers, and trainers, and adopted a dual evaluation approach: traditional questionnaires and the Avanti Virtual Interviewer (AVI) AI-based system, part of the AVANTI ecosystem developed by R2M Solution. The results were significant:
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100% completion rate of VR activities;
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75% satisfaction regarding learning effectiveness;
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over 70% increase in engagement compared to traditional training pathways.
VR proved to be a powerful tool for attracting digital natives, enhancing attention, and stimulating curiosity towards construction-related professions.
Future perspectives and European scalability
The TEXIVOS experience highlights how immersive technologies are set to play an increasingly important role in vocational training within the construction sector. However, large-scale adoption will require investments in digital literacy, appropriate infrastructure, replicable teaching models, and continuous support for teachers and trainers. The strong interest expressed by practitioners confirms the high adoption potential, while also underlining the need for structured theoretical and practical training paths to overcome initial technological barriers.
Activities aimed at exploiting and scaling the project results are already underway, leveraging the EXTRA methodology and developing synergies with other European projects such as ET4Digital and INPERSO, with the goal of promoting replicable training models at European level.
The TEXIVOS consortium would like to thank XR4ED – Accelerating innovation in learning and education through EdTech and XR for the support and the opportunity to test innovative solutions in a real-world context.
R2M Solution continues its commitment to fostering the adoption of advanced digital practices and promoting a new culture of safety, innovation, and quality within the construction sector.
The TEXIVOS project has indirectly received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, via the XR4ED Open Call (Grant Agreement No. 101093159). The information contained in this news reflects only the author’s views (R2M Solution). The European Commission and the XR4ED Consortium are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
