Video games can help you get a job.
Well, kind of.
The GST Michigan Works Bad Axe service center is hosting an event where people can explore different careers through virtual reality.
The Bad Axe service center started hosting these simulation opportunities last year.
There are approximately 20 plus career opportunities for people to choose from in the simulation.
“I think we’re finding that the more opportunities that we have to give people that tactile experience and show them what occupations are like,” said GST Michigan Works Chief Services Officer Jessica Billiau. “It helps them to make the decisions on their next career step, whether that’s training or going right to employment.”
The equipment used are leased headsets from Transfr Inc., “a company that uses virtual reality training to help people find well-paying careers in high-demand fields.”
Billiau talked about how the service provider stumbled upon the VR career opportunity when it learned about it from another Michigan Works agency.
“We were first introduced from another Michigan Works agency that was utilizing them in one of their youth programs,” Billiau said. “They told us that it was really cool and very impactful for the programs that they had. When we went to our annual conference, the Transf Inc. folks were there, and they gave a presentation and we kind of just went from there. It’s been highly successful for us, particularly with our young people when we go to career fairs and things like that, but adults like them too.”
One career example that is in the simulation for people to try is that of linemen.
“I have been surprised in talking with some of the tree trimming companies that we work with where people will apply for a position, then kind of think about it later and it turns out they really don’t like heights,” Billiau said. “One of the things that we have heard continuously on the simulation for the lineman is that it does a very good job of simulating really what it looks like when you’re up in a bucket truck.
“So whether that’s for tree trimming or electric line repair, it kind of gives that realistic feel in an opportunity that you might not otherwise get in person. Everybody can’t go out on a career exploration, or a talent tour somewhere and actually get up in a bucket truck and see what that’s like.”
At GST Michigan’s Flint location, they took the virtual reality opportunity to another level. This time simulation meets reality.
“Another popular one is the construction trades,” Billiau said. “We actually did a pilot program. This was down in our Flint location, but we piloted an early construction trades workshop. The training was E-learning, so it was virtual for a couple of weeks. Then those individuals that were really into it had the opportunity to then transition into a live work experience with a local employer. From there, once that work experience was over, they could determine if they wanted to go on to do additional training for construction trades or in some cases, maybe go right to work and start an apprenticeship.”
GST Michigan Works plans to use this technological opportunity in their UM-FERN project, a collaborative effort with UM-Flint School of Nursing and Thumb Community Health Partnership.
“There’s a lot of attention that’s being focused on the idea of making sure that we’re supporting those individuals that are coming from our area that we want to return and to take some of the nursing positions,” Billiau said. “Some of the challenges with that can be the lack of sites where people can do their clinicals and that sort of thing.
“What we see a lot of times, with nursing specifically, we’ll meet people that have been doing a certified nurse aid position for a while or a medical assistant or some other part of health care. Now they’re ready to advance their career and go after being an RN. That can be challenging when you’re working on a bachelor’s degree, and you have a full-time job. So we kind of come alongside our partners to try to support that so we can see people advance in their career pathways.”
This article was originally published on Huron Daily Tribune as Find your next career at GST Michigan Works in Bad Axe
