London, UK - 15 November 2011 - Train4TradeSkills, the specialist company that offers flexible courses to train as a qualified plumber, electrician and gas engineer, scooped the double accolade of two Gold awards at this year’s E-Learning Awards, held at London’s Marriott Hotel in Mayfair on 10th November 2011. The Luton-based company beat stiff competition from the likes of Sky, BT and RBS Group in the awards that saw entries from almost 20 countries.

The E-Learning awards celebrate the strength and depth of successful e-learning that is taking place across the globe. Train4TradeSkills won Gold awards in the categories ‘Best learning game, simulation or virtual environment’ and ‘Most innovative new learning hardware or software product’.

Train4TradeSkills put together an extremely talented team and has developed innovative virtual reality training to form a key component of its courses. The virtual environment allows students to learn the tools of the trade for plumbing, electrics and gas engineering. The virtual reality training allows students to practice trade skills in a virtual environment, before embarking on the workshop-based practical training element of their course.

Myra Smallman, Principal of Train4Tradeskills said: “It’s just like flight simulation used to train pilots and cabin staff. We’ve made a substantial investment in research and development and the result is we have a unique virtual reality environment where students can learn hands-on skills without health and safety risks. It allows users of varied abilities to develop skills to a very high standard. Our system is specifically designed to stimulate learning and build users’ confidence.”

A short video explaining the training is online at http://tma.t4ts.com/i3d