Students at Beaver Dam High School were given the unique opportunity to experience technical professions through virtual reality. This mobile workshop was brought in by Be Pro Be Proud, a non-profit aiming to show that technical and trade professions are a first choice career. Be Pro Be Proud is able to do this with their partner, Meta, to give the experience to the around 250 to 300 students there.
During the workshop, the students were able to experience practical simulations along with virtual reality. There was a wide variety of experiences for them to have. They could try being a commercial truck driver, utility line worker, crane operator, welder, plumber, carpenter, electrician and so much more.
“The Be Pro Be Proud workshop experience is a day of firsts for many students. So it’s a first look at many opportunities that they may not be aware of at their current stage in life,” said Rob Lemming from Be Pro Be Proud. “So we allow them that opportunity to explore what options are available that are not only personally fulfilling but also provide for a financially stable future.”
He went on to explain that these are high wage, high demand jobs that they feature are available for students and they can demonstrate the steps they need to take to get to these jobs.
It is a community program as not only do the students get to have this experience, but it brings it to the teachers, parents and industry leaders.
The goal of this workshop was to inspire students and enlighten them on talents they may not know they had. It is meant to help them take their next steps after high school and give them a path from high school to training to an apprenticeship and to the profession itself. One of the goals of this workshop was to connect the students to a profession they may not have originally even tried.
“To watch their faces light up and to cheer on their peers as they’re having a friendly competition of who can do it better, who can do it faster, that’s the type of joy and connection related to the professional world and the working world that is important early on,” Leming mentioned.
By using virtual reality, the kids are able to get a better feel for the profession than just listening to someone talk about it or watching someone do it. With virtual reality, they get an almost hands-on experience, they are the ones doing the work.
Listening to professionals is an important part of a young person’s career, but they are only able to hear their perspective rather than gaining one themselves. Through experiencing it with virtual reality, they can begin to experience the career.
Be Pro Be Proud was started in 2016 by Executive Director, Andrew Parker. Since it’s creation, it has spread to 10 states with prospects in several others. Currently, Wisconsin isn’t in the official program, but they recognize the strong industry and technical professions here and are interested in pursuing the state more.
Robert Lemings launched the New Mexico program about three and a half years ago. He also helps find new states and areas to launch the program in.
“There is also such an opportunity for young people to not only land jobs that have significant earning potential because the demand is so great, but there is also a huge opportunity for that young entrepreneur to take the reins of one of these companies,” Parker explained.
He also said that being a part of this experience has been gratifying and humbling. He mentioned that it is an incredible responsibility to help lead these young professionals along in their career and see what they will do in the future.
Another aspect of the program is helping make the youth more comfortable in the working world. Both Parker and Lemings voiced that it can be intimidating for students to get involved but through this program, they are able to get an inside look and feel more confident in their future work.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here