Be Pro Be Proud Water Works VR SIM to Recruit Next-Generation Skilled Workforce
Be Pro Be Proud is a national non-profit spearheading the movement to bring a new generation of pride, progress, and professionals to a state’s skilled workforce. As the current skilled workforce is at or near retirement age, Be Pro Be Proud hopes to change how young individuals think about job opportunities by using hands-on simulators and exciting, gamified VR experiences.
Groove Jones worked with the Be Pro Be Proud leadership team and state sponsors to create multiple VR experiences again – creating an innovative VR experience for water utility providers across Arkansas, which adds to the other professional workforce initiatives.
Groove Jones created a series of VR experiences focusing on crucial jobs that give students a chance to step into that job, challenge themselves with tasks, and see what they could earn in the job.
The VR experiences are designed to drive awareness about the specific job and motivate the students to pursue a career by implementing gamification tactics.
The Be Pro Be Proud mobile tour is delivered through a 53-foot custom-built, double-expandable trailer, filled with interactive experiences highlighting technical professions across construction, forestry, manufacturing, transportation, and utility sectors.
Play It, Learn It, Earn It
When students enter a Be Pro Be Proud Mobile Workshop and put on a headset, they will be virtually transported to a football field, where they will be presented with a series of interactive experiences.
For the Water Utilities experience, students must complete a series of challenges. It begins with instructions on how to fix a broken water main.
The user will go through various techniques and movements prompted by the experience through highlighted icons and a voice-over explaining the task at hand – they will have a select amount of time to solve and fix the issue.
They must first close the Water Line by reaching out and shutting off the water.
Once the water drains, they must remove the broken pipe that caused the leak.
By using the drill and wrench, they must remove the bolts.
They then need to cut out the damaged pipe.
Then they call in support to drop in a new pipe replacement.
They then need to tighten the bolts to secure the new pipe in place.
After replacing the pipe, they can turn the water pressure back on to complete the job.
A call-to-action screen will appear with the time it took them to finish the experience and more information regarding compensation for the job if done in real life.
This allows the user to understand better how valuable the skilled profession is.
About Be Pro Be Proud’s Mission
Today’s U.S. skilled professional workforce is aging out, and the next generation of new talent is insufficient to fill the demand. Nationwide, there are an estimated 5.6 million job openings. The majority of these are in highly skilled technical fields. The Be Pro Be Pro program continues to grow and has been experienced by over 250,000 students in AR, GA, NC, and SC. NM and TN will launch in the Fall of 2023.
The initiative targets many key audiences, including middle and high school and nontraditional students, current skilled professionals, legislators, parents, teachers, career coaches, and employers to dispel the myths about skilled professions, showcase current skilled professionals’ genuine vocational pride, highlight the many career opportunities available within these sectors and provide necessary resources and training to those interested.