Image Credit : Spiire Visual Media
Project Overview
VIC VICE uses virtual reality to expand the workplace experience opportunities available to Victorian high school students. It aims to build aspirations and better prepare young people for the future of work and roles in demand.
The platform is rolling out in classrooms in the 914 schools in the Victorian Local Learning and Employment Networks (VicLLENs) network.
Students can explore workplaces in an immersive, interactive, and multi-sensory way, through a series of 360-degree videos that capture big, bold experiences complete with interactive touchpoints that invite students to become part of the story.
They can also enter complete 3D simulated environments that challenge them to put their skills to the test with gamified simulations of real-life workplace activities.
Project Commissioner
Goulburn Murray Local Learning and Employment Network
Project Creator
Team
Project Director- Anthony Wansink
Creative, 360 Video & Technical Direction- Michael Lyons
Lead Software Developer- Richard Ritchie
3D Production Manager- Matt Girardi
Senior 3D Artist & Compositor- Sam Mohan
3D Artist- Neil McLellan
3D Artist, Software Developer & Assistant Director- Zhefeng Wang
Project Brief
Imagine the multitude of options available at a careers expo, coupled with the immersion of walking in the door of a workplace – all without leaving the classroom.
VIC VICE offers students the chance to “step inside” workplaces in the food and fiber, transport and logistics, and health and community service sectors, shining a spotlight on career opportunities in industries facing skills shortages.
The experience centers around interactivity, aiming to appeal to students’ sense of fun and spark conversations with teachers, friends, and families about career choices they may not have considered previously.
Project Need
Exposure to different industries is crucial to helping young people make informed choices about their futures. VIC VICE uses virtual reality to break down barriers such as distance and the resource challenge for workplaces to offer in-person experiences.
The seeds for this statewide project were sown more than two years ago, in a conversation with the GMLLEN team about using emerging technology to help tackle the high youth unemployment rate in the Goulburn Valley. Prompted by COVID-19 restrictions, we began exploring avenues to expand on traditional work experience programs by giving students access to a range of different workplaces through a single portal.
We joined forces to develop the Goulburn Murray Virtual Industry Careers Experience (GM VICE), which encourages students in the Goulburn Murray region to “step inside” local workplaces and learn about 24 professions facing skills shortages.
VIC VICE is the next iteration, scaling up and improving on the original concept to bring a Virtual Industry Careers Experience to students across the entire state. The platform was designed to ignite curiosity among students while remaining easy to use and manage for the LLENs and educators.
User Experience
Our team’s creative use of technology extends from content production to a considered approach to distribution and content management.
We used cutting-edge equipment to create ten interactive 360-degree videos, from shooting and post-production to software development. These feature interviews with real people, complete with interactive touchpoints that encourage students to participate in the experience. We pushed technical boundaries to shoot and develop these touchpoints, which feature 360 stop motion animation techniques, social media-style dance routines and complex sound effects and ramping.
We created simulated environments that students navigate through, featuring video-game-style challenges of workplace activities. We modeled the 3D characters that populate these environments and captured voice and motion from performance actors to breathe life into the characters.
Our approach to the distribution and content management system prioritized simplicity and ease of use while building capacity for the content to rapidly scale.
The VIC VICE app allows individual LLENs and schools to customize the experience they offer students and push out new content without technical hurdles.
We designed each element of the software deliverables to work within this framework. The modular content pieces load into the lightweight app and are arranged into playlist configurations so each LLEN can simply select the experiences that are relevant to the school or activity.
Through extensive due diligence on headset manufacturers and distribution solutions, we developed a solution fit for an enterprise-level rollout, which allows easy management of the fleet of 200+ headsets.
Project Marketing
An evaluation of a pilot VIC VICE program during the development phase tested two of the virtual reality environments among a cohort of 168 young people. It found that:
98% enjoyed the experience (89% liked, 9% somewhat liked)
Virtual reality was a powerful engagement tool, with 68% testing it out because it was VR
27% said it made them consider an industry they hadn’t thought about
22% said they were interested in real-life work experience in the industry
59% reported VR was a good way to explore careers
Read the full evaluation report here: https://www.vicvice.com.au/about
Project Privacy
GMLLEN believes that the responsible handling of personal and health information is a key aspect of governance and is strongly committed to protecting an individual’s right to privacy. Find more information in their privacy policy: https://www.gmllen.com.au/privacy-policy/
Digital - AR / VR - New Experiences
This category relates to AR / VR - New Experiences.
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