March 26, 2025

Case Study: Temperature Control Institute and VR: Turning HVAC Training into Second Chances

How Meta Quest and Interplay Learning helped Josh go from gaming to guiding others—with a headset and a purpose.

When Josh was younger, trouble was easy to find—and purpose wasn’t. But everything changed when he discovered HVAC training in virtual reality. Thanks to Meta Quest and Interplay Learning, he turned a love for gaming into a skilled trade—and now teaches others at the Temperature Control Institute (TCI), helping build futures for people just like him.

“Everyone makes mistakes. It makes me feel great to know I’m giving someone else a second chance—just like I was given one.”
— Josh, Instructor at TCI

🔧 The Challenge: Finding Purpose, Building Skills

Josh’s story started like many others:

🚫 Distracted by the wrong crowd
💡 No sense of direction
🧊 No interest in the family trade—HVAC

Until one day, his dad introduced him to Interplay Learning on a Meta Quest headset.

“This is pretty cool. It’s just like the job we’re on—but inside VR.”

🎧 The Solution: A Virtual Tool That Feels Like Real Work

Interplay Learning transformed Josh’s gaming habit into career training—with a fully immersive HVAC curriculum delivered via Meta Quest.

🎮 What changed:

Step-by-step training in diagnostics, tools, and safety
Hands-on simulations of real-life repairs (like testing currents or fixing condensers)
Progress tracking and real-time instructor feedback
Fun, accessible learning—at your own pace

“It’s like having another instructor—and it’s actually fun.”

✅ Results That Matter

Fast forward 2.5 years:
Josh is now a lead instructor at TCI—training others with the same technology that changed his path.

🧑‍🏫 Trains students from all walks of life
📈 Engages younger and older learners alike
🔁 Supports re-entry for formerly incarcerated individuals
💪 Helps every trainee leave with skills and self-worth

“We give guys coming out of correctional facilities the chance to learn a trade and become solid members of the community.”

🧠 Meta for Work at Knoxlabs

Your XR Partner for Skilled Trades, Workforce Development, and Second Chances

Knoxlabs works with trade schools, nonprofits, and training centers to scale immersive job-readiness programs—with everything from software strategy to Meta Quest deployments.

🆓 Try Meta Quest Free – 5-Day Program

Get hands-on with Interplay Learning and other job training simulations—preloaded on a Meta Quest headset.
🎧 No cost. No risk. Just opportunity.
🔗 Apply now at knoxlabs.com/try-quest

📞 Talk to an XR Expert