Though the students were still in room 279, they were transported into an interactive job simulation where they could try a myriad of different careers. The high school’s Career Counseling Department partnered with Youth Connections and Transfr on Thursday, Dec. 7, for the Virtual Reality Trades Career Exploration event which showcased the usefulness of virtual reality (VR) in job training.

Youth Connections is a company that offers training services to people looking for a job. When a student put on a headset, they were greeted by a selection of 36 realistic job simulations, ranging from hospitality and tourism to automotive engineering. Using software from Transfr, a company that aims to train young people for jobs using VR, Youth Connections showcases these services at educational institutions.

Emie Schinazi, one of the organizers from Youth Connections, said they aim to help kids figure out what they want to do.

“We do things that are similar to guidance,” Schinazi said. “We think it’s really important to bring activities for kids that are hands-on, you’re not sitting at a computer and taking a quiz; you can actually try something.”

According to Schinazi, VR is a way to experience what different careers are actually like and allow students to find one they enjoy.

“VR is a great way to get some classroom time,” Schinazi said. “It’s not a replacement for actual training, but it’s great to try something out, and it’s a good way to see if it’s something that you actually enjoy doing.”

Junior Aarzoo Syeda, who did the simulation on fire safety, said they had not had the opportunity to learn about fire safety before this event.

“I’ve always been interested in public safety, but I had missed out on learning about fire safety,” Syeda said. “Getting to learn how to use a fire extinguisher here was definitely interesting and a new skill to add to my belt.”

According to Syeda, this virtual hands-on learning helps students very much because students are not simply staring at a screen and clicking buttons.

“You can build stuff with no limitation and you can move around in an imaginary space. You don’t have to worry about gravity when you’re trying to see how something works,” Syeda said. “You can turn things around in that space and take them apart without worrying about having to put them back together.”

According to Guidance Department Chair Darby Neff-Verre, a simulation is not the end of the road; there are ways to move forward after these experiences.

“Hopefully, [the high school] working with [Youth Connections] and other resources through Kate Kennedy, our career counselor, will help students learn more and have more direct experiences,” Neff-Verre said.

According to Schinazi, VR is a very fun experience and can feel like a video game simulation.

“It is enjoyable, and it’s not just listening to something like a webinar on Zoom,” Schinazi said. “It’s a much more interactive experience.”