Project Description
VELOCITY JOB INTERVIEW SIMULATION
A virtual reality app which helps young people learn more about careers in construction by placing them in charge of building new houses, Virtual Project Manager was developed by Skills Development Scotland (the national careers guidance provider for Scotland) as part of their My World of Work Live! programme. This initiative looks to build on the digital careers guidance found within the My World of Work website by providing interactive, hands-on experience for young people. Virtual Project Manager was one of three mini-games linked to construction which were developed to be used by young people either as part of careers lessons or independently.
Young people are able to download the app free of charge from the Google Play store. To play the game, a VR headset is required as young people enter a virtual simulation of a real life construction site. They are placed in charge of building new homes and must complete a number of tasks to successfully carry this out.
The idea behind the app’s development was that Skills Development Scotland wanted to provide careers information via a medium which is already being used by young people elsewhere in their daily life. Hence, as VR/GBL is seen more by young people as an immersive piece of entertainment, it was felt that the app’s approach to guidance could add further impact to the existing My World of Work resources available via the website.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Students
TYPE OF PRACTICE
3D Simulation of jobs, Virtual reality platform; Gamified learning platform/MOOC
CONTACT
Skills Development Scotland
My World of Work website: https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/
Link to app: http://bit.ly/LiveVRP
How to use this Resource
Using this resource for learning
Feedback from young people who have used the app has been that the VR approach is an effective one, as they find it easier to learn when fully immersed in an experience. This feedback also highlighted that the app demonstrates well the different (and often unexpected) careers available within contemporary construction.
The app’s success was demonstrated by the fact that it won the award for use of technology in careers guidance at the 2017 National Careers Awards.However, one disadvantage of such an approach is that not all schools/young people have access to VR technology. Therefore, there are potential additional costs and barriers for young people to overcome before they can use the app, something which could limit reach and impact.