Introducing KxWind
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January 16, 2023
This is an introduction to KxWind: a company with the sole purpose of helping wind training organizations maximize their learning outcomes, and a passion for making engaging, interactive 3D training simulations for the wind industry. At its core, KxW exists to help wind training teams provide the most sophisticated, satisfying, and effective learning programs in the world by helping them integrate virtual reality and other immersive technologies into their existing curricula.
The wind industry has a problem. Despite significant funding and movement across the industry to install more wind turbines, a labor shortage stifles these initiatives and in turn wind energy adoption. Specifically, there is a huge need for more wind turbine technicians: the professionals who operate and maintain wind farms daily. Even more, demand for wind techs is projected to skyrocket — the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that, in the next 10 years, there may be a 44% increase in this demand.
There is already a labor shortage, and if we don’t do anything it’s going to get worse.
Looking closer at this problem, and after speaking with hundreds of wind techs, a few patterns and trends emerged. These patterns revolved mostly around training quality, including consistent gripes with training experiences, lack of curriculum standardization, “death by slideshow/manual,” antiquated video content, and “Zoom fatigue.” Even worse, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many in-person training centers closed, and remote learning programs became the default. Fewer training centers means worse training and less job readiness, a trend likely to decrease the number of wind techs at a time when more is needed.
“Most training experiences are a snooze fest. At best you meet some interesting people, but rarely do you feel satisfied or prepared after a training course. They’re always a waste of time.”
-Neal Gyngard, former Senior Wind Tech, Founder & CEO of TCGM
KxW’s expectation: training quality should improve over time proportionally to the demand for labor.
KxW’s thesis: wind tech training is at an inflection point; it has not improved proportionately to demand. Improving training globally will increase talent flow into and throughout the industry, in turn accelerating wind energy adoption.
KxW’s solution: a product and service designed to help wind training providers integrate VR into their learning programs as efficiently as possible; a turnkey solution, consisting of a library of interactive, high-fidelity 3D simulations, hardware procurement support, and operational guidance, so that teams interested in adopting VR for wind technician training can do so effortlessly.
Kairos
Inflection points reveal opportunities, which brings us to the name, KxWind. The “K” stands for “kairos.” The ancient Greeks viewed time with two concepts: chronos and kairos. Chronos described time linearly, whereas kairos described opportune moments. KxW sees a moment of opportunity — kairos — for the world to adopt more efficient training and education tools and to transition into an era of engaging and entertaining learning programs, precise skill assessment, and enhanced confidence and safety. This is an evolution in knowledge transfer, and it stems from interactive 3D content.
The “x” stands for “XR,” or extended reality. Immersive technologies are meant to enhance, or extend, the learning experience and dramatically improve learning outcomes: higher satisfaction, confidence, and onsite safety, all with less training time.
KxW sees immersive tech as the next disruptive technology for training, and as seismic as video was for learning.
As designers, developers, and veteran wind technicians, KxW combines everything learned and experienced from years of interactive 3D development and enterprise VR strategy, and working in turbines directly: augmented reality, virtual reality, and desktop simulations to upskill professional and budding wind techs. KxW is building the best-in-class VR occupational training product for the wind industry.
Immersive technologies unlock experiential learning and increase worker performance while reducing training costs. Training solutions based in immersive tech are engaging, scalable, and customizable, enabling deep engagement and maximized learning efficiency. These solutions have the unique ability to make intangible concepts tangible, using immersive experiences and visual engagement.
This is why KxW focuses on 3D solutions to enhance clients’ and partners’ training programs. Immersive technology will be the foundation of the next generation of training, and has been used in some of the most efficient industry-proven training programs on the planet.
A closer look at KxW’s learning experiences:
Immersive technology, including desktop 3D, virtual reality, and augmented reality, helps people learn better, faster, and smarter. It accelerates the individual learning process and skill growth, expedites team cohesion, enhances individual productivity and safety, and improves overall learner satisfaction.
There are many benefits to immersive tech for training:
- Scalable: unlocking remote learning with simulated machinery, equipment, scenarios, and virtual apprenticeships.
- Practical: increasing worker safety and productivity on and off the job.
- Enjoyable: with highly engaging content improving overall job satisfaction.
- Data-centric: capturing behavioral and performance information to precisely evaluate skill growth, job-readiness, and continuously improve learning content
Accenture’s data shows that immersive technology is here, and continues to demonstrate its value as one of the most sophisticated training and education tools in history. Benefits include:
- Stronger retention and quicker comprehension from apprenticeship-quality instruction, at scale.
- Accurately tracked skill growth and proficiency through task-based evaluation, and performance and behavioral analytics.
- Reduced costs and time, associated with travel and practice equipment investments by training distributed teams remotely with virtual equipment.
However, 3D learning experiences are only as good as the quality of the subject matter. If the subject matter isn’t relevant, no amount of 3D will move the dial.
Subject Matter & Outcomes
KxW obsesses over learning outcomes, and enhancing GWO-compliant training programs. Currently, KxW specializes in GWO Basic Technical Training, with a hyper-focus on its Mechanical training.
This specialization derives from the goal of bringing someone new to the field from novice to job-ready in as little time as possible. GWO’s BTT is the foundation of wind tech training and typically the first technical exposure to the wind industry. By enhancing BTT with immersive technology, KxW introduces another medium for experiential learning.
KxW’s learning content provides guided field trips to digital twins, high-fidelity simulations and challenges to exercise decision-making and safe practices, and an opportunity to familiarize oneself with turbine structures and systems, so learners develop familiarity and context for new concepts more efficiently than before.
This content is designed by wind techs, for wind techs, with the aim of preparing students for jobs as efficiently as possible. This means less training time, greater confidence, higher satisfaction, and ultimately fewer onsite mistakes and help requests.
Clients & Partners: with whom KxW works
Leading organizations invest in the best training tools and programs they can find, understand that their people are their most important assets, and do everything possible to maximize their potential.
KxW is building 3D learning content to train the next generation of wind professionals, used by training centers, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), and academic institutions (universities, community colleges).
KxW provides a turnkey solution: libraries of high-fidelity 3D training content, hardware procurement and provisioning, and operational playbooks, enabling teams across the wind industry to adopt 3D training and best practices as quickly as possible. This streamlines the adoption of immersive technology by helping these organizations develop the institutional knowledge needed to manage, maintain, and strategically grow their immersive learning initiative.
To learn more about how we work with training institutions, check out our Services page.
Looking forward: the mission, the promise
At the heart of what KxW does is a passion for the environment, renewable energy, and career mobility. KxW is here to advance the wind energy industry by streamlining the adoption of 3D, providing the best learning experiences possible, and accelerating career mobility and talent flow throughout the industry.
KxW exists to be the de-facto 3D resource for wind training programs and professionals everywhere. With every question answered and every piece of engaging, informational training content provided, KxW enhances, grows, and moves the industry forward; and as the industry moves forward, so does the global transition to a greener future: a future of renewable energy and sustainability.
KxW’s mission is to help wind tech training teams everywhere maximize their programs’ learning outcomes; to help them provide a learning experience that is so good, their trainees evangelize the program with enthusiasm and reverence throughout their communities; a learning experience that is so good, their trainees build a passion for their careers, smash employee expectations, and work more safely.
KxW’s mission is to enable training teams everywhere to provide the greatest wind tech training in the world, with cutting-edge immersive 3D.
This is how KxW will accelerate both career mobility and global wind energy adoption.
-Tim Kanellitsas
Founder, CEO
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