Interplay Learning Launches Skill Verification to Demonstrate Workforce Readiness

New simulation-based assessments give organizations objective, step-level insights into how workers perform a task before dispatch, contractor authorization, new-hire placement or promotion decisions.

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Interplay Learning, the leader in immersive learning for the skilled trades and industrial crafts, today announced the launch of Skill Verification, a simulation-based assessment tool that enables organizations to evaluate an individual's ability to perform trades-specific tasks. Using simulation-based assessments that mirror real equipment and conditions, Skill Verification provides supervisors and safety leaders objective, step-level evidence of readiness across electrical safety, industrial controls and more.

For many skilled trades and industrial roles, employers have limited ways to verify hands-on ability before putting someone on the job. Traditional assessments can require expensive equipment, dedicated facilities and significant supervisor time, while interviews and multiple-choice tests don't demonstrate whether a worker can actually execute a task.  

"You can have your OSHA, EPA and NATE certifications and still not be able to perform the job in the real world", said Matt Ellenberg, director of training, Southern Home Services. "What Skill Verification gives us is a way to actually demonstrate and prove that a technician can perform the skills we need them to perform. That's incredibly valuable as we continue to grow."

The initial catalog of 20 Skill Verification assessments launches October 15, 2026, spanning applications in commercial HVAC, facilities management, manufacturing, data centers and critical infrastructure. Assessments cover equipment, tools and job-specific tasks in simulated operating environments, including Using a Digital Multimeter, Tool Selection and Inspection, and Industrial Electrical Lockout/Tagout Safety Procedure.  The assessments can also be used by educational institutions and workforce development programs to validate students' hands-on skills before they enter the workforce.

Every assessment produces a clear, objective score alongside step-level detail on missed steps, sequence and decisions, giving supervisors specific, targeted areas for remediation rather than a pass/fail result. This gives organizations a repeatable way to evaluate skills consistently across sites, shifts and service partners as they scale their workforce.

"As skilled trades employers face growing pressure to build and deploy qualified workforces, they need better, safer ways to verify hands-on ability," said Doug Donovan, CEO and founder of Interplay Learning. "Skill Verification gives operations and safety leaders objective evidence of demonstrated performance, helping them quickly identify skill gaps and make more informed decisions about workforce readiness."

For more information about Skill Verification, visit https://www.interplaylearning.com/skill-verfication.

About Interplay Learning

Interplay Learning, the leader in immersive learning for the skilled trades and industrial crafts, now includes Industrial Training International (ITI), the global leader in specialized industrial learning solutions. Leveraging instructor-led training, online simulations, AI, and VR, Interplay helps organizations and educational institutions upskill faster, reduce risk, and increase operational readiness. With over 500,000 people trained, Interplay is shaping the future of workforce development, building better careers and better lives. Visit www.interplaylearning.com to learn more.

Recent accolades include TIME's 2026 America's Top EdTech Companies, Forbes 2026 America's Best Startup Employers, the 2025 IACET Instructional Impact Award, 2025 Inc 5000 list, Deloitte's 2025 Technology Fast 500 list, 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, and NFMT 2024 Vision Awards.

SOURCE Interplay Learning