Project “Virtual reality in the context of treatment skills” wins prestigious European Innovative Teaching Award (EITA) of the European Commission

The Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation was awarded for the Erasmus+ project "Virtual reality in the context of treatment skills", in which VR software and training scenarios were developed for the training of probation officers and prison staff

The Probation Sector, which operates within the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, supervises around 3,500 offenders performing community service. Probation officers are experts in various fields, and since its establishment in 2011, the probation service has continuously invested in modernising and improving the rehabilitation of criminal offenders.

The key persons who participated in the awarded project are Ms Vesna Zelić Ferenčić, Project Coordinator, Mr Goran Brkić, Head of Probation Sector, and Ms Tanja Novosel, Probation Officer, who contributed with their work and experience to the implementation of the project and the achievement of the first results.

A direct incentive to launch the project was the need for a more innovative approach to working with criminal offenders. Vesna Zelić Ferenčić emphasises that there is a constant and pronounced need for adaptation and individualisation of all interventions, approaches and methods in this area. The probation service does not rely on universal solutions because, although the ‘one size fits all’ approach may have certain advantages, it is not the most effective in rehabilitation.

The project was therefore focused on the training of probation officers through five key components needed to establish a therapeutic alliance - the skills that form the basis of any rehabilitation work.

“Probation officers are aware of the importance and basic nature of these skills, which has given rise to the idea that VR could be a great way to present them. VR thus becomes a useful tool that allows officers to see first-hand what the correct application of a particular component looks like, but also to recognise the most common mistakes and room for progress. The trainings so far have shown that officials need contents through which they can learn without stress and fear of mistakes, because in the virtual environment there are no real consequences", underlines Zelić Ferenčić.

In addition to training, the project also had a strong transformative role within the service. 

“The introduction of new technologies and AI sometimes is sometimes met with resistance and skepticism, partly because of the fear that we as experts are replacable. And this project, which is based on the humanisation of relations between probation officers and offenders, has shown how technology can facilitate work and knowledge transfer, especially in situations which are difficult to convey only verbally, where VR makes this easier", points out Zelić Ferenčić. She also emphasises that VR is only a tool, not a substitute for people.

The VR training project has shown that digital transformation does not have to sacrifice human contact - in fact, it can deepen it when it combines technology with empathy, knowledge and real connection.


The European Innovative Teaching Award (EITA) was launched in 2021 to recognise the work of teachers, trainers and educators (and their organisations) that make an exceptional contribution to the profession by implementing successful Erasmus+ projects. Read more about the award and its laureates here. For more information on the awarded project of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, see here.

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