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The Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre (the Centre) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Hong Kong Christian Service have developed the “Virtual Reality Training Protocol for Early Childhood Professionals” (Project VICTOR), which uses an innovative virtual reality (VR) hybrid training model to train child rehabilitation professionals more efficiently, enhancing their professional knowledge and skills in infant care. As Hong Kong’s first VR-based professional training initiative for premature infant care, it can strengthen carers’ understanding and awareness of those infants’ unique needs. Since its launch three years ago, the programme has trained over 200 frontline staff and received a Certificate of Merit in the “Smart Transformation (Solution for Charitable Sector)” category at the 2024 Hong Kong ICT Awards.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about 10% of infants worldwide were born prematurely in 2020. Premature infants, due to the immature development of their vital organs, are prone to health issues and require specialised care techniques. Funded by The Community Chest of Hong Kong, the Centre and the Hong Kong Christian Service launched Project VICTOR, targeting healthcare workers, professionals in nursing education, and families and carers of high-risk infants (e.g., preterm infants). By integrating VR technology with online learning, carers can practise high-risk infant care skills, such as feeding, holding and nappy changing, without time or location constraints. The team has also developed a proprietary sensor-equipped infant simulator to make the training more realistic. The training adopts a self-paced learning model and includes a flagging system that records and analyses performance, automatically identifying areas requiring additional support to enhance training effectiveness.

Dr Anna Ma Yuk-yi, principal investigator of Project VICTOR at CUHK’s Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre, said: “VR technology not only enhances training efficiency and flexibility but also provides a safe, low-pressure environment for repeated practice, boosting confidence and professional competence. This technological innovation has transformed traditional training models, particularly for those caring for the high-risk group of premature infants, with VR training effectively enhancing on-the-spot responsiveness. The programme provides personalised learning solutions for busy frontline workers, addressing the shortage of practical training opportunities, and aims to benefit more rehabilitation and education professionals, delivering higher-quality services to infants and families.”

From October 2023 to June 2024, 218 frontline child rehabilitation professionals participated in the project, generating over 50,000 VR training data points through their activities and feedback from 146 participants. Results showed significant improvements in participants’ professional competence and performance: 81.5% reported enhanced knowledge in infant care; 87% noted improved professional competence; and 80.1% experienced reduced stress when handling infants. Many participants noted that repeated practice significantly improved their success rate and reduced completion time. For example, the average time to complete bottle-feeding training dropped from 29.35 seconds on the first attempt to 8.54 seconds.

Dr Jess Chan Ka-lam, Service Supervisor of Child Rehabilitation Service at Hong Kong Christian Service, said: “The programme provides a data-driven staff training solution, enabling management team to allocate human resources more cost-effectively while establishing a solid foundation in infant care practices for industry professionals. As a pilot programme, Project VICTOR currently focuses on developing its services and training model, with plans to explore the possibility of training hours contributing to professional qualification certification in its second phase, enhancing industry recognition further.”

Project VICTOR has pioneered new pathways for professional training in the industry. In the future, the team plans to enhance data use to provide managers with clear performance reports, optimising resource allocation. Through technology and big data analytics, it will establish a comprehensive training database to systematically track participants’ progress, identify learning patterns and obstacles, and automatically adjust content and difficulty to create personalised learning plans for each participant. The programme is currently being piloted various non-governmental organisations. The team aims to expand its scope to further assist frontline workers and proposes extending the VR hybrid training model to fields such as nursing, rehabilitation therapy and special education. The team will also develop more interactive training modules, integrated with an online training platform, to support the practical training needs of various professions, fostering highly skilled professionals for the industry.