A new virtual reality system is giving remote Cape York residents a chance to experience different career options without leaving home. Photo: Supplied.
A partnership between My Pathway, Mining Skills Australia and Motion Curve has allowed community members in south-eastern Cape York a unique opportunity to experience career insights and practice virtual work skills in their own backyards.
Following extensive community consultation to identify locally available roles experiencing skills gaps, Motion Curve developed a “choose your own adventure” style virtual reality (VR) experience for some of the most in-demand careers on Cape York, including mining, dialysis nursing and more than 20 diverse options in between.
While initially developed to assist local jobseekers identify available careers that align with their interests and identify training opportunities to pursue these, the program has also proved to be a huge hit with those preparing to enter the workforce.
My Pathway regional community engagement manager Kristofer Grulke said local schools had been keen to integrate the experiences into their career curriculums.
“We were invited to the Holy Spirit College open day to showcase our A Day in the Life Of VR program,” he said.
“The kids loved the hands-on experience, and the school asked us to come back every fortnight for their students to keep enjoying and learning from the technology.
“From this, My Pathway have now also included the VR headsets in regular engagement sessions at Cooktown State School, and it’s a core part of the Hope Vale Culture, Country and Connection youth program.”
The technology has also been enjoyed at career expos in Cooktown, Hope Vale and Wujal Wujal, and is also regularly taken to Laura.
My Pathway community engager Marley Sharp said the outdoor careers, and especially those connected to Country, had been the most popular for users to experience.
“The on-Country ranger experience, where they get to drive around in a side-by-side, checking out Country, and the cattle farmer, are some of the most popular picks,” he said.
“Alongside Taylor, the virtual owner of Junction Farm, they get to herd virtual cattle, tag them, feed them and get them back into their paddocks.
“When they get through the full experience, they fill out a short survey to gauge their interest in that career, identify the relevant qualifications and skills they already have, and any that we could help them to get.”
