MY Career Academy uses virtual reality headsets to introduce out-of-school youths ages 16-24 to different career paths.
Students can put on the headset and be instantly transported to a career site like the top of a transmission tower, where they use two handheld controllers to fasten bolts, replace parts and restore electricity to a town.
There are 12 youths in the pilot program, which started late last fall. There is space for up to 25 participants. Most are from the Charleston area, particularly the East End and the West Side, said Tamara Lee, program manager for the Workforce Development Board of Kanawha County.
"A lot of them aren't sure of what all is out there," she said.
The goal of the year-long program is for participants to learn about different jobs, most of them trades, and have a plan to move forward into training.
Once a month, participants hear from local employers, visit job sites and learn interview and financial skills. They'll be certified in first aid, CPR and workplace safety. If they attend 10 sessions, they will receive a $500 stipend to start their new career.
Organizations at the Kanawha County American Job Center have programs to help with costs for training and tools.
The program is more than just once-a-month career exploration, though. Case managers provide services to address the barriers these youths could be facing, such as housing, transportation and food.
"If you don't know where you're going to be sleeping at night, how can you focus on going to school? How can you focus on training? How can you focus on getting a job?" Tadd Haynes said.
Haynes is the president of UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia, a Medicaid organization. His company provided funding for the 17 Oculus VR headsets used in the program.
Haynes said his company invests in communities by focusing on "social drivers of health" — things like access to housing, food, education and employment.
He said he's excited about participants learning about the medical field. During a recent series of community conversations around the state, Haynes heard of shortages in all areas of the health care industry.
"I think there's tons of possibilities surrounding tools like this," Haynes said.
Charleston Area Medical Center facilities alone have 681 job openings around the state, according to Dale Witte, public relations specialist at CAMC.
COLLEGE, BURGER KING OR ... ?
Michael Austin, the American Job Center's coordinator and program manager, said participants in the program have enjoyed exploring hands-on trades, such as electrician, construction worker and plumber.
"Many of them feel that, after [a project] is built, that they can bring their families back, and it's memorialized," Austin said. "They can say, 'Hey, I did that. I built it with my own hands.'"
Family is a big incentive for many of the youths in the program. Many participants feel they've only been given two options, Austin said: Go to college or work at Burger King.
Many of them have told Austin they're not "a school person." And while there's nothing wrong with working at Burger King, they want the opportunity to provide for their family.
"In many minority communities, they're not exposed to nontraditional [career] pipelines, so, for them to be exposed to opportunities that don't require college, but they're able to earn thriving wages and grow in a career, this is what they're looking for," he said.
Ray Walker, a case manager and career planner for youths in the program, said that, had he known about training opportunities for these types of careers, he never would have gone to college.
"Especially being an athlete, or young man in general, classroom settings just weren't for me anyway, but if I had a training or something to do or if I knew about a trade — no question, hands down [I would have chosen it]," he said.
Austin said some participants might be dealing with the results of bad choices. The MY Career Academy is a way to say, "That's not the conclusion. That's not the final decision. Things can be turned around."
"This is a game changer for them," Austin said. "This has saved their life."
©2024 The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, W.Va.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
