Our partnership with Mining skills Australia and Motion Curve has allowed community members in the remote Cook region a unique opportunity to experience career insights and practice virtual work skills through the “A day in the Life of” program.
Following extensive community consultation to identify locally available roles experiencing skills gaps, Motion Curve developed a “choose your own adventure” style Virtual Reality (VR) experience for some of the most in-demand careers in the region. The program is uniquely tailored to Far North Queensland and features role experiences from an underground miner to a Dialysis Nurse, and more than 20 diverse options between these.
Taylor is the “virtual owner” of Junction Farm
and takes participants through a typical day
on her cattle farm in Far North Queensland.
While initially developed to assist local jobseekers identify available careers that align with their interests and identify training opportunities to pursue these, the program has also proved to be a huge hit with those preparing to enter the workforce.
Our Cook Regional Community Engagement Manager Kristofer Grulke said local schools had been very keen to integrate the experiences into their careers curriculum.
“We were invited to the Holy Spirit College Open Day to showcase our ‘A day in the life of’ VR program,” he said.
“The kids loved the hands-on experience, and the school asked us to come back every fortnight for their students to keep enjoying and learning from the technology.
“From this we have now also included the VR headsets in regular engagement sessions at Cooktown State School, and it’s a core part of the Hope Vale ‘Culture, Country and Connection’ Youth program.”
The technology has also been enjoyed at career expos in Cooktown, Hope Vale and Wujal Wujal and is regularly taken to events in Laura and Cow Bay, ensuring almost anyone in the region can try it out.
Community Engager Marley Sharp said that the outdoor careers, and especially those connected to country were among the most popular. Going beyond just learning about and experiencing these careers, for adult participants, the program concludes with a short questionnaire, helping identify qualification and skill strengths and gaps to address.
“The on-country Ranger experience where they get to drive around in a side-by-side, checking out country, and the cattle farmer are some of the most popular picks,” he said.
“Alongside Taylor, the virtual owner of Junction Farm they get to herd virtual cattle, tag them, feed them and get them back into their paddocks.
“When they get through the full experience, they fill out a short survey to gauge their interest in that career, identify the relevant qualifications and skills they already have, and any that we could help them to get.
“This information is helping us design training opportunities that get people into the real jobs available in our communities,” he concluded.
All of which demonstrate how useful and well-regarded this technology is amongst our team and local communities. While the technology has only been in use for less than six months, the rigorous and ongoing testing that was achieved with our participants, allowed Motion Curve to develop a platform that is locally relevant, engaging and contributes to real outcomes for those looking to enter the workforce in the region.
Ask any of your local My Pathway team in the Cook region about the “a day in the life of” program and experience it for yourself!
Stakeholders try the technology at a recent event in Hope Vale.
This story first appeared in the Cape York Weekly.