North Dakota educational institutions will be provided with complimentary Virtual Reality headsets.
CareerViewXR, an immersive edtech startup, has recently announced a statewide initiative to donate over 300 HTC VIVE virtual reality (VR) headsets to both public and private secondary schools in North Dakota, to broaden access to immersive learning experiences throughout the state.
According to the company, the CareerViewXR platform uses 360-degree technology to make web-based tours and VR videos that allow students to explore job sites from the comfort of their classrooms. With over 65 field trips and job shadows, students can get a firsthand look at different professionals and industries. CareerViewXR believes that by increasing career awareness, students will be able to make better career choices.
Matthew Chaussee, CEO and Co-founder of CareerViewXR, expressed his thoughts on the announcement, stating that this initiative is unique. As far as he knows, North Dakota will be the first state in the United States to provide VR headsets to every middle and high school, both public and private. This donation is made possible through the collaboration of various organizations including ND Career and Technical Education’s RUReady platform, ND Job Service, and EduTech. Chaussee further mentioned that this generous contribution strengthens a collaborative effort between multiple agencies from the public and private sectors, a partnership that they are particularly proud of.
CareerViewXR was recently recognized as a Yass Prize semi-finalist, which awarded the start-up a USD $200,000 award, which the company is using to improve its platform and promote it in new markets. CareerViewXR also noted that it has a growing subscriber base of students and adult job seekers exploring in-demand occupations across the United States.
The startup obtained the VR headsets, partially due to an expanding collaboration with XR solutions provider HTC VIVE. Together, they have worked on distributing VIVE Focus Plus headsets to educators and students throughout North Dakota.
Daniel O’Brien, General Manager of Americas at HTC VIVE, expressed his excitement about working with CareerViewXR and supplying their headsets for the program. He mentioned that this partnership aligns with HTC VIVE’s mission of combining humanity and technology to encourage creativity. O’Brien further stated that their collaboration with CareerViewXR offers immersive learning solutions to motivate and equip students and job seekers to develop their skills and discover new career options in a captivating and secure setting, without any restrictions.
The distribution of the headsets is scheduled to commence from February 11-13 during the 2024 NDCA Annual Conference. For more information on CareerViewXR and its virtual reality solutions for immersive career exploration, please visit the company’s website.
