Modernising vocational welding education: The CHIETA's success and challenges in blended learning and virtual reality integration

This case study delves into the CHIETA's (Chemical Industries Education & Training Authority) innovative approach to rolling out a blended learning-coded welding skills programme that directly addresses the urgent requirement for affordable, alternative, and leading-edge technical training. By offering a combination of in-person sessions, online learning, and relevant training through welding simulations put to work with live production, this initiative hopes to expand skills development in employment and create opportunities for economic growth. A pilot study in 2022, involving six TVET colleges, showed some promising results. The CHIETA collaborates with the University of Johannesburg to improve the programme and explore the possibility of developing a sustainable and cost-effective approach. The collaboration aims to enhance educational processes, adhere to the Sustainable Development Goals, and leverage the advancements of Industry 4.0. This chapter, if anything, paints a picture of how immersive technologies can make learning transitions easier and provide vital learning in response to rapidly changing training demands.