University of Helsinki
Welcome to the Smart Tools and the Metaverse sub-project, a vital component of the overarching DAIA initiative. This work package is dedicated to the exploration and development of innovative smart technology solutions tailored to the working contexts of various industries.
With a particular focus on addressing the pressing need for skilled labor in South Africa, Deep Lead seeks to enhance leadership and interaction skills among learners in companies and organizations. Leveraging extensive experience in face-to-face leadership training, Deep Lead is at the forefront of developing the Deep Lead Academy—a digital coaching platform that employs artificial intelligence and machine learning.
In parallel, Intolead aims to localize and advance the digital academy concept, creating a holistic, flexible, and cost-effective competence development model for Africa and other emerging markets. The objectives encompass exploring the application of virtual coaching and VR-based training in diverse South African user groups, modeling AI-based coaching and VR-based training practices based on empirical data, and developing a coaching application that integrates digital academia with on-the-job learning. This sub-project aims to research and select the most suitable online learning environment for the local context, conceptualize content solutions for different user groups and skill levels, validate a model to verify the effectiveness of learning, and gather information and feedback on the effectiveness of digital training and coaching.
The collaboration between Deep Lead, Intolead, and other key stakeholders in this sub-project contributes invaluable expertise to the broader DAIA project, ensuring the integration of virtual coaching and VR-based training as essential elements in supporting training across all DAIA project companies.