IACET Names Interplay Learning’s AI-Powered Mentor for Skilled Trades a Top Tech Innovation of 2024
Interplay Learning’s AI-powered virtual assistant, Skill Advisor and Mentor (SAM), has been named IACET’s 2024 Innovation of the Year for Technology Integration due to its pioneering use of AI, eLearning design, and simulation to provide personalized, scalable, and effective training and career development for skilled trades workers, transforming recruitment, skill acquisition, and workforce retention across multiple job roles and locations.
Leading skilled trades training provider Interplay Learning has received the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) Innovation of the Year Award – Technology Integration for its Skill Advisor and Mentor (SAM), the first artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant for the skilled trades.
SAM is recognized for its use of eLearning design, simulation programs, and virtual learning platforms that enable highly engaging and effective learning. According to Doug Donovan, founder and CEO of Interplay Learning, SAM represents a significant milestone in the company's mission to shape the future of skilled trades training. Interplay Learning was the first training provider to incorporate AI directly into a career development platform for the trades. SAM's intelligence, combined with expert content, has transformed how companies recruit, ramp, and retain a skilled workforce.
SAM is included in Interplay’s career development platform and provides technicians with immediate guidance to help them gain skills faster and learn more efficiently. It also offers personalized support and encouragement during their learning journey. By encouraging critical thinking and deeper understanding, SAM accelerates the learning process beyond quick answers and one-time fixes.
Interplay’s platform and AI technology allow enterprises to scale and facilitate training across multiple locations and job roles. Companies can offer safe, effective online training for all employees in a centralized learning space, where they can access Interplay’s trades training content, manage and track progress, upload, and create their own training—all within one platform.
Donovan noted that the integration of AI, virtual reality, and simulation technology is setting a new standard for skills assessment and development. Interplay addresses challenges such as labor shortages, high turnover, and lack of investment in employee growth. Skilled trades workers are often on the move, making performance monitoring and assessment difficult. AI and VR provide precise and efficient ways to develop skills and train in a risk-free environment, enhancing employers’ ability to accelerate foundational training and keep experienced workers up to date with the latest techniques and technologies.
Interplay continues to experience strong growth, reflecting its leadership in serving skilled trades industries, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, facilities maintenance, industrial maintenance, and multi-family maintenance.
IACET ensures that providers of continuing education and training can affirm the high quality of their instruction using a universal model for learning process excellence. Their model provides a certifiable framework of researched and proven best practices applicable across disciplines and industries. For more information, visit www.iacet.org.
About Interplay Learning
Interplay Learning, based in Austin, is an industry leader in immersive career development for the skilled trades. Its training platform enables rapid upskilling and empowers new technicians to be job-ready within weeks. The platform features hands-on 3D simulations, expert-led videos, knowledge checks, and personalized learning paths, making it more scalable and engaging than traditional training. Leveraging advanced technologies like AI and VR, Interplay is reshaping the future of online skilled trades training, delivering highly effective learning experiences that result in better careers and better lives. Since 2016, the company has trained more than 250,000 people using immersive learning technology and has worked with nearly 2,000 businesses and educational organizations. Recent accolades include Fast Company’s Annual List of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024, AHR’s 2024 Innovation Award, IACET 2024 Innovation of the Year Award – Technology Integration, NFMT 2024 Vision Awards – Analytics and Management Software, Forbes’ 2023 America’s Best Startup Employers, 2022 Inc. 5000 list, 2022 Inc. Best in Business list, and three honorable mentions in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards. Visit www.interplaylearning.com to learn more.
Related
Interplay Learning wins IACET Instructional Impact Award - Interplay Learning
Interplay Learning, a leader in immersive skilled trades training, won the 2025 IACET Instructional Impact Award for its innovative use of VR, AI, and simulation technologies that deliver measurable educational outcomes and improve workforce development, following its 2024 Innovation of the Year Award for its AI-powered Skill Advisor and Mentor virtual assistant.
Interplay Learning Achieves Rank #680 on 2022 Inc. 5000 List
Interplay Learning, an Austin-based provider of online and VR training for skilled trades, achieved a 917% three-year revenue growth and ranked #680 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies, highlighting its commitment to building the skilled trades workforce amid economic challenges.
New Partnership Taps Immersive Technology to Give the 'Toolbelt Generation' Exposure to In-Demand Skilled Trades in High School
Edmentum and Interplay Learning have partnered to provide high school students with immersive, AI-driven simulation courses in skilled trades like HVAC, plumbing, and clean energy, addressing growing Gen Z interest and workforce demand by offering accessible, industry-recognized career and technical education that prepares students for postsecondary training and jobs without requiring costly equipment or specialized staff.
3D & VR Sim-Based Training for Students
Interplay Learning provides online, on-demand 3D simulation and virtual reality training for skilled trades students, offering industry-aligned courses and certifications across various trades, enabling flexible, safe practice environments, curriculum integration, progress tracking, and proven success in preparing students for workforce readiness as endorsed by educators and employers.
Interplay Listed on World's Most Innovative Companies 2024
Interplay Learning, ranked #6 in Fast Company’s Applied AI category for the World’s Most Innovative Companies 2024, is recognized for its AI- and VR-driven immersive training solutions like SAM, an AI-powered mentor that accelerates skill development in the skilled trades to address labor shortages and support workforce growth.
About Interplay Learning
Interplay Learning, an Austin-based company founded in 2016, provides award-winning, scalable online and VR training platforms for essential skilled trades globally—including the U.S. and South Africa—enabling rapid, hands-on employee training that leads to job readiness in weeks, and has been recognized by Forbes, TIME, and other organizations for innovation and workplace excellence.