VR Revolutionizing Skilled Workforce Perception

Be Pro Be Proud is a national nonprofit organization leading the charge to revitalize a state's skilled workforce with pride, progress, and professionalism. With the current skilled workforce aging or nearing retirement, Be Pro Be Proud aims to reshape young individuals' perceptions of job opportunities through hands-on simulators and immersive VR experiences.

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Groove Jones collaborated with Be Pro Be Proud and state sponsors to develop innovative VR experiences, including one tailored for water utility providers in Arkansas, as part of broader efforts to promote professional workforce opportunities. These VR experiences allow students to step into various professional roles, engage in tasks, and explore potential earnings, all while raising awareness about specific careers and encouraging pursuit of these paths through gamification.

The Be Pro Be Proud mobile tour features a 53-foot custom trailer with interactive exhibits showcasing technical professions in construction, forestry, manufacturing, transportation, and utilities. Inside, students don headsets and are transported to a virtual football field, where they face a series of challenges.

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In the Water Utilities VR experience, students are tasked with repairing a broken water main. Guided by on-screen icons and voice prompts, they must first shut off the water, remove the damaged pipe using tools like a drill and wrench, call for a replacement pipe, secure the new pipe in place, and finally, restore water pressure. Upon completion, a summary of the task's duration and information on potential job compensation is displayed, reinforcing the value of skilled professions.

This initiative aims to reshape perceptions of vocational careers, showing students the excitement and rewards of pursuing skilled professions while addressing the growing need for a new generation of skilled workers.

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