How do you feel when pouring a concrete roof as a high-rise constructor? What exactly does a stoner do? What is a refrigeration technician workplace like?
Virtual reality makes it possible: Austrian youth can now experience such experiences very firsthand. Virtual factory tours, the WKO Project, allow you to “immerse” in different professional worlds.
It will be the most intense experience ever WKO career information centers Command: There are now 60 virtual reality (VR) glasses available across Austria. Anyone who puts it on can “teleport” to a company, look around 360 degrees and have colleagues completing their training there who provide apprenticeship training right in the workplace.
80 job files are currently available with information, 21 of them with the latest comprehensive 3D VR technology and surround sound. It will be by the end of the year 35 to 40 different vocational training It can be experienced from all federal states using virtual reality glasses.
The virtual factory tours are also over the computer or notebook It can be accessed via the web application. And access is possible even on the go: this smart phone or plank It serves as a “window” on the virtual world of vocational training. There he managed gyroscope functionTo turn 360 degrees and look around freely.
“The generation of digital natives has grown up with interactive media. Virtual reality allows fun immersion in the future world of work and gives young people an exciting live experience: Do I see myself in this job?” , as he says Harald MaherPresident of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ).
“It was very important for us to be very original: there are no actors at work here, but there are real companies and trainees who give their work to their senior colleagues on an equal footing. Young people are encouraged to focus on different training paths within a short period of time.”
This overview is important: there are currently around 210 apprenticeships offered in Austria in which the Chamber of Commerce wants to inspire young people. New items are added all the time, and course content is constantly updated: this is why one-on-one career guidance offerings are so important.
“Through virtual company tours, interested young people can look at several job profiles in a short time and identify their interests. This is a perfect addition to the flair of the company, especially in times of coronavirus. And it helps us offer the least known vocational training off the beaten path,” he asserts. Mariana ConnellDeputy Secretary General of WKÖ. But HD videos are also an attractive “business card” for companies, with which they can ideally present themselves at educational fairs, school visits or when hiring.
“We will be expanding virtual company tours along with interested companies in the coming months and years. The feedback is already very positive: the shortage of skilled workers is a huge burden for companies, which is why the struggle for talented young people is becoming more intense. Employers branding has become a decisive factor Competitive factor – Virtual factory tours are an asset here that companies can sign up with,” says Maher.
The project arose in 2019 from a project of the association “Teaching in Vorarlberg” with the virtual reality company Innsbruck Mediasquad & VRme.eu and was awarded the “Silver Victoria” by the Business Film Festival in 2020. As part of the WKO educational offensive, the project is interactively improved and expanded continuously. (PWK225/HSP)
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