This research introduces and evaluates a new method of teaching information and communication technology (ICT), which results in the active participation of the trainee in the sequential performance of laboratory exercises in the virtual environment. This training is carried out using a virtual educational platform - VLC. The proposed approach uses an innovative mechanism for controlling the training process, called a virtual tutor, whose task is to continuously monitor the trainee’s progress and adjust the pace and level of subsequent laboratory tasks. The virtual tutor function is implemented using machine learning techniques and semantic networks. The proposed method allows the use of educational content management mechanisms, an object repository, and educational process maps. Similar studies on IT tools for e-learning are conducted to a large extent, but they often lack a holistic approach to the problem. Such aspects as career counseling in selecting an educational program based on the balance of the future trainee’s competencies, individual course of study through selective selection of laboratory exercises, remote progress monitoring, and activation of people over 45 years of age constitute the innovative nature of the article. Study results prove the effectiveness of the new holistic VLC method.