THE VIRTUAL WORKPLACE
Students look to careers
High school students preparing to take the next step into the real world got some help finding their desired career pathway Wednesday with a new tool that brings the real world to them through their smartphones.
Workforce Windsoressex debuted four new virtual reality tours that take viewers into the workplace, providing an excellent sense of the job and its environment. The 360-degree tours allow viewers to look around at the entire scene while the tour guide continues to provide information and demonstrations as though the student is right on site.
“Based on our experiences with Manufacturing Day tours, it can be challenging to bring large groups through on tour,” said Sarah Fram, Workforce Windsoressex’s communications co-ordinator.
“The videos bring the tours to the students instead of the students going on tours.
“We can reach far more students or job seekers considering a career change this way.”
The 31/2-minute videos are particularly targeted at Grade 10 students, who are just beginning to position themselves for their career pathways.
The four employers involved were the Carpenters Union, Active Industrial Solutions, Brave Control Solutions and Best Western Plus in Leamington.
Fram said the plan is to continue to add more videos to the library found on Workforce Windsoressex’s website (workforcewindsor.com).
“It’s actually a real cool experience,” said Mark Albazi, a Grade 10 student at St. Joseph’s who is interested in a construction career.
“Through virtual reality you can actually live the experience. I didn’t expect it to be so realistic.”
Fellow Grade 10 Alessia Bozzi feels the new resource will be very influential in helping students sort through career choices.
The daughter of a carpenter, Bozzi said the 360-degree videos connect with students in a different way.
“It’ll help people change their minds on careers,” Bozzi said. “People think a construction site is just for big, strong men, but you can see women in the trades. The videos add another dimension and more feeling and depth to our learning.”
Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board executive superintendent Dan Fister said virtual and augmented reality is an increasingly valuable resource for educators. The Catholic board has spent about $100,000 on those resources and training in the past three years.
“Today in particular is important because students can test-drive a career, gain a little bit more interest,” Fister said. “Having this platform allows parents to delve into a day in the life (of a career) to start debunking some of the myths with respect to skilled trades and other industries.
“Our world is changing and technology will be part of it in every facet of your career.”
Shelley Fellows, who co-founded the local industrial robotics firm Radix Inc. with her husband Ross, said the videos can serve as both educational and marketing tools.
“They (students) are our future employees,” said Fellows, who is a vice-president for AIS Technology Group and chair of Automate Canada.
“We want them to make a choice and come out be educated and join our industry, join industrial automation, manufacturing, be a skilled tradesperson. They’re not going to do that unless they have some element of knowledge of what it’s like to be in these workplaces.”
Fellows said creating a deep talent pool is a necessity for the sustainability of local firms.
One of the hurdles to achieving that goal is debunking the myths around advanced manufacturing.
“The myths are we’re dark, dirty and dangerous,” Fellows said.
“The things you’ll see are clean, bright, technology, computers. There are really smart people solving challenging problems with engineering and technology.
“Hopefully it will explode those myths.”