Extended Reality Career Pathways Resource

Tender description

IntroductionThe Extended Reality (XR) Careers Modules Project is a collaborative initiative between WeCare Wales, the Practice Development Team at Powys County Council, the Recruitment and Retention Work Stream in West Wales Region (covering Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion & Pembrokeshire Local Authorities), and the supplier awarded this contract.BackgroundThe social care and childcare sectors currently face significant challenges in engaging and recruiting young people. Traditional methods of career promotion often struggle to capture high school students or to convey the depth and impact of roles within these vital fields. There is a growing need for innovative, engaging approaches that provide a realistic, inspiring glimpse into careers in social care and childcare.The XR Careers Modules Project will provide an innovative and bespoke resource for WeCare Wales, Powys County Council and Carmarthenshire County Council, improving the quality, consistency and appeal of career promotion efforts. By leveraging XR technology, the project aims to enhance the quality, consistency and appeal of career promotion efforts. The project will offer students a compelling hands-on experience that builds career awareness, fosters empathy and skill development, and deepens their understanding of real-world challenges and rewards associated with social care and childcare careers.Aims and objectivesThe project aims to enhance the attraction and recruitment of young people into careers in the social care, health and childcare sectors by utilising the power of XR technology. Through the development of immersive and interactive modules, the project aims to support a clear career pathway for students from Year 7 to Year 12.The project objectives are to:- Enhance Career Awareness: Utilise XR technology to create immersive and interactive modules that provide students with a realistic understanding of ca-reers in social care and early years and childcare sectors to help them visual-ise and appreciate the roles and responsibilities involved.- Increase Engagement: Develop engaging and age-appropriate training sce-narios that capture the attention of high school students and encourage ac-tive participation to make the learning experience enjoyable and memorable.- Promote Skill Development: Provide realistic scenarios that allow students to practice and develop essential skills required in social care and childcare, such as empathy, communication, and problem-solving, in a safe and con-trolled environment.- Immersive Learning: Engage in realistic scenarios that reflect the daily chal-lenges and responsibilities of each role.- Standardise Career Information: Ensure consistent and accurate infor-mation about social care and early years and childcare careers across all modules, helping students make informed decisions about their future career paths.- Support Continuous Learning: Facilitate ongoing exploration and learning by providing access to XR modules that can be revisited as needed. This will allow students to deepen their understanding and interest in social care and childcare careers.- Enhance Digital Skills: Improve students' digital competence, confidence, and skills by engaging them with XR technology preparing them for the in-creasing use of digital tools in various professions.- Increase Empathy and Understanding: Increase students' understanding of the challenges faced by individuals and families in need of social care to help break down barriers to engagement and foster empathy and compas-sion.Career Pathways: Inspire and inform those considering a career in Social Care, informing them about different routes and training options to support their career choices.Please see Specification for more detail