AR is Changing On-Site Training in Civil Engineering! New Methods for New Employee Training and Skills Transfer

Table of Contents

• The revolution AR technology brings to on-site training

• Challenges in new employee training and skills transfer in the civil engineering industry

• Why AR technology is attracting attention (expectations for on-site training)

• Benefits of new employee training using AR

• New forms of skills transfer enabled by AR

• Concrete examples of AR use: from safety training to surveying

• Conclusion: The future of civil engineering training opened by AR adoption

• Recommendation: Simple surveying with LRTK

• FAQ

The revolution AR technology brings to on-site training

In recent years, the construction and civil engineering industries have seen AR (Augmented Reality) technology significantly change the way on-site training is conducted. AR, which can overlay digital information onto real work sites, enables newcomers to acquire skills and know-how that previously could only be learned from paper materials or videos in a manner close to real experience. Replacing traditional OJT (on-the-job training) that relied on the seasoned intuition and experience of veteran staff, AR-based “see it, experience it, and learn it” training is becoming a new trend.

For example, the finished form that could only be understood from drawings can be displayed on-site with AR so even newcomers can intuitively grasp the image. Dangerous high-elevation work or heavy equipment operation training can also be safely simulated and learned through AR. Introducing AR technology dramatically improves the efficiency and safety of new employee training and is poised to revolutionize the way skills are handed down.

Challenges in new employee training and skills transfer in the civil engineering industry

The civil engineering industry is currently facing major challenges in new employee training and skills transfer. As veteran engineers age, the need to pass on long-cultivated know-how to the next generation is increasing, while the number of young workers remains limited. In practice, about one in four on-site skilled workers is 60 years or older, while those 29 years old or younger make up only about 10% of the workforce. If this continues, there is a risk—often called the “engineer cliff”—that many veterans will retire en masse within the next 10 years, causing a rapid loss of on-site technical capability.

Under these circumstances, the traditional “learn by watching” style of OJT shows its limits. Site-dependent training places a heavy burden on instructors and leads to variability in teaching methods. Skills accumulated as tacit knowledge in individuals are difficult to verbalize or put into manuals, and newcomers often cannot catch up until they gain experience. Furthermore, on construction sites where safety management is the top priority, it is difficult to let newcomers experience dangerous work, resulting in a shortage of practical training opportunities. The lack of time and manpower available for new employee training, combined with veterans’ “no time to teach,” means there are limits to skill succession through traditional methods.

Why AR technology is attracting attention (expectations for on-site training)

Against this backdrop, AR technology is attracting attention as a new solution for newcomer training. AR (augmented reality) is a technology that overlays digital information on the real world. For example, looking at a site through a smartphone or tablet camera can display 3D models or guidance that are not actually there. Applying AR to training allows digital instructions and explanations to be overlaid along actual work procedures, so newcomers can learn through experience that closely resembles the real thing.

In particular, there is high demand in civil engineering on-site training to “let trainees safely experience dangerous tasks” and to “help them intuitively understand structures that are hard to visualize,” making AR an ideal technology. While VR (virtual reality) raises the level of classroom or simulated experiences, AR demonstrates its strength in training that uses actual sites and real objects. Being on-site and checking work procedures via a smartphone or AR goggles, or visualizing the positions of underground buried objects at your feet, provides in-situ insights and learning. For newcomers, learning on-site with visible, tangible cues is often easier to understand and more memorable than desk-based explanations.

Benefits of new employee training using AR

Incorporating AR into on-site training brings various benefits to new employee training. First, it enables practical experience in a safe environment. Dangerous high-elevation tasks or heavy equipment operation procedures can be reproduced on AR, allowing trainees to learn from failure without real harm. Harsh conditions such as poor footing or high heat and humidity can be virtually recreated, enabling trainees to acquire coping methods in a safe location. This allows newcomers to accumulate a certain level of experience before debuting on real sites, which is expected to improve safety awareness and responsiveness when they begin actual work.

Second, it enables intuitive and easy-to-understand learning. Shapes and processes of structures that were difficult to grasp from text materials or 2D drawings become obvious with AR 3D models. Newcomers viewing three-dimensional content overlaid on the real world no longer need to mentally supplement images. For example, piping layouts or rebar assembly can be explained by displaying life-size CG on-site, making comprehension much easier than textual descriptions. Experience-based training that appeals to learners’ intuition promotes skill improvement and knowledge retention.

Third, it improves training efficiency. Using AR devices (smartphones or smart glasses), instructors and trainees can share views in real time. Instructions or markers can be written directly onto the trainee’s view, allowing accurate coaching even remotely. This makes it possible to provide guidance that used to require one-on-one supervision remotely to multiple people simultaneously. For veterans, opportunities to give advice without interrupting their work increase, minimizing productivity losses due to training. As a result, newcomers can acclimate to the site earlier and reduce the time required to become effective contributors.

New forms of skills transfer enabled by AR

Introducing AR brings innovation not only to newcomer training but also to skills transfer (the handing down of veteran knowledge and know-how). A major advantage is that skills accumulated as tacit knowledge in individuals can be visualized as digital content. For example, recording a skilled worker’s procedures in AR allows newcomers to later trace those steps and re-experience a predecessor’s technique. The subtle instincts that veterans performed visually and by feel can be better understood when their gaze and motions are confirmed through AR.

Additionally, AR is effective as a means to receive real-time instruction from experts located remotely. On-site trainees wearing head-mounted displays or wearable cameras can have their video feed commented on by veterans in distant offices, making such training a reality. The remote instruction creates a sense of presence as if the instructor were standing next to the trainee, providing reassurance to newcomers. Instructors, meanwhile, do not need to travel to sites and can guide multiple sites in their spare time, enabling efficient skills transfer with limited personnel.

By leveraging AR, the tacit know-how that was previously personal and hard to verbalize can be turned into shared assets and accumulated across the organization. Even after veterans retire, their skills remain as digital data that junior staff can repeatedly learn from, which helps prevent a break in skills succession.

Concrete examples of AR use: from safety training to surveying

Concrete uses of AR-based training are increasing. In safety education, AR is used to recreate past accidents and defective construction cases to cultivate sensitivity to hazards. For example, in levee inspection training, pointing a tablet camera at a life-size levee model can make cracks or leakage points appear on the screen, allowing trainees to conduct simulated detection and reporting. Experiencing failure examples and disaster cases in a form close to reality has been shown to improve newcomers’ safety awareness and judgment.

AR is also powerful for equipment inspection and maintenance training. As a real-world example, Tokyo Metro has used AR apps for new employee training in tunnel structure inspection. In a mock tunnel training space, pointing a tablet reveals digital displays on the walls that simulate cracks and water leaks. Newcomers can experience inspections following realistic procedures, acquiring skills efficiently and reliably. Using the same AR system as actual field operations makes it easier to directly connect training content to real work.

AR is also applied to heavy equipment operation training. For example, excavator operation training systems allow a trainee wearing AR goggles to sit in the machine’s actual cockpit and practice by following guidance overlaid on their view. Because correct operation procedures and work ranges are visually indicated, trainees can learn independently without an instructor’s constant verbal guidance. Immediate AR warnings on operation mistakes and other forms of instant feedback make skills acquisition more effective.

Furthermore, specialist tasks such as surveying and as-built management are made more approachable for newcomers through AR. Traditionally, surveying required skilled technicians and advanced equipment operation, but combining AR with GPS systems allows intuitive navigation so even beginners can accurately stake out survey points or display pile-driving positions according to design. With instructions like “drive a stake here” visible through a site smartphone, newcomers can achieve the required positions and elevations without relying on feel or experience. This is attracting attention as a way to enable sites struggling with labor shortages to operate without relying on skilled surveyors.

Conclusion: The future of civil engineering training opened by AR adoption

AR technology is steadily evolving on-site training and skills succession in civil engineering. The era of learning by trailing veteran workers is shifting to an era of efficient and safe skill acquisition using digital technology. By incorporating AR training, newcomers can gain practical capabilities earlier, and veterans can pass on knowledge without undue strain. Consequently, overall site productivity and quality assurance can improve, helping solve industry challenges such as labor shortages and skill gaps.

That said, successful AR adoption requires careful content design and equipment preparation tailored to objectives. Clarify the training goals and which tasks should use which AR approaches, then start with small-scale trials to accumulate know-how. Methods range from simple smartphone and tablet approaches to advanced AR glasses with cloud integration; the key is to start in a way that suits your site. Provide UIs and support systems that are easy for both digitally savvy young workers and veterans to use, so everyone on site can benefit.

As AR technology continues to advance, it will increasingly transform working styles and human resource development in the civil engineering industry. For example, solutions like “AR surveying” that combine high-precision GPS with AR enable accurate site work even by non-experts. Leveraging such cutting-edge tools will allow younger workers to take the lead on sites and grow by compensating for lack of experience with technology.

Recommendation: Simple surveying with LRTK

When discussing the fusion of AR and civil engineering, one concrete solution is simple surveying using LRTK. LRTK is a system consisting of a high-precision GNSS (GPS) receiver and a dedicated app, and it is characterized by enabling AR displays while obtaining centimeter-level accuracy (half-inch accuracy) position information using a smartphone. Tasks such as surveying and as-built verification, which traditionally depended on veteran surveyors’ experience, can be intuitively performed by newcomers using LRTK.

For example, when LRTK is used on-site, reference points on design drawings or completed structure models can be overlaid on the actual scene. New workers can simply walk while following AR guides on the screen to identify where to drive stakes according to design or to instantly check the as-built status of fills and excavations. There is no need to focus on complex surveying equipment operations or calculations; the interface that anyone can use simplifies on-site measurement and verification tasks.

Simple surveying with LRTK realizes a new site style that might be called “anyone can be a surveyor.” Even at sites that cannot allocate surveying specialists due to labor shortages, if young workers can use LRTK to handle surveying and as-built management, operations can continue without delay while also providing skill acquisition opportunities. When advancing AR-based civil engineering training, starting with tools like LRTK that combine surveying and AR is one option. Why not harness state-of-the-art technology to improve the quality and efficiency of on-site training?

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between AR training and VR training? A: AR training overlays digital information onto real sites and objects, making it easier to gain in-situ insights and a sense of presence. VR training, on the other hand, simulates experiences entirely within a virtual environment, which is suitable for simulating dangerous tasks but can make it harder to grasp actual site ambiance and real-world scale. In civil engineering, AR is often better suited for training that cultivates on-site awareness because it lets trainees check life-size models in relation to their surroundings. Ideally, AR and VR should be used appropriately according to objectives.

Q: What preparations are needed to conduct AR training on-site? A: Basically, you need AR-capable devices (smartphones, tablets, or AR glasses) and training AR content or apps. Prepare 3D models and manual information according to the training content, and configure them so they can be displayed aligned with the site coordinate system. It may seem difficult at first, but AR training packages that include the necessary content for construction are now available. Start with simple AR apps that can be tried in small spaces and gradually step up to use in actual site environments.

Q: Can older veteran employees master AR technology? A: Yes—if adequate support and design considerations are in place. Choosing AR apps with intuitive UIs and simple procedures reduces confusion for those unfamiliar with digital devices. Let veterans experience AR devices early in the training to help them appreciate the benefits. Also, measures such as assigning younger staff to support operations and providing guidance not only by text but also by voice or animation on-screen can help older workers adopt AR without resistance. AR is not a technology only for certain users; it is a tool from which anyone can benefit.

Q: Is the cost of introducing AR training high? A: Costs vary depending on scale and approach, but AR adoption is not necessarily expensive. Initial expenses can be large if you introduce dedicated AR glasses or advanced simulators, but you can start relatively cheaply with apps that run on smartphones or tablets. Free or subscription-based AR software options are available for pilot operation with minimal investment. Considering improvements in training efficiency and accelerated human resource development, the cost-effectiveness can be sufficiently promising. It is recommended to start small according to your company’s objectives, verify the effects, and make phased investments.

Q: What is LRTK? A: LRTK is a high-precision positioning AR system developed for the civil engineering and construction industry. It consists of a GNSS receiver (antenna) that can be attached to a smartphone and a dedicated app, and its feature is providing real-time centimeter-level accuracy (half-inch accuracy) positioning while displaying AR. In short, it functions like an “AR-equipped surveying instrument” used on-site, intuitively assisting surveying and as-built verification tasks. With LRTK, newcomers without specialized surveying knowledge can follow on-screen guides to carry out measurement and verification. As a concrete solution in AR civil engineering, employing LRTK in on-site training can achieve new employee education and operational efficiency simultaneously.