Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
This mobile career exploration classroom is on the road this month as part of a regional initiative led by area economic developers. Courtesy photo.
This school year, students in our area have a new opportunity to learn about career paths right here in rural North Dakota.
The Mobile Career Exploration Classroom (MCEC) is visiting several schools this month to connect local students with local career opportunities, part of an effort to reduce out-migration and tackle unemployment rates among those below the poverty level.
As the name suggests, the MCEC is a mobile classroom that allows students to experience various careers through virtual reality.
The van is equipped with CareerViewXR, a Fargo-based immersive career exploration platform that created eight experiences showcasing real careers and workplaces in the area.
Local experiences created for the project include:
• Secondary Education Teacher, filmed with Devils Lake High School
• Rural Ambulance Services, filmed with Lake Region Ambulance Service
• Sheriff's Deputy, filmed with Cavalier County Sheriff's Department
• 911 Operator, filmed with Cavalier County Sheriff's Department
• Municipal Worker, filmed with the City of New Rockford
The mobile classroom will also have exclusive video tours of the following companies: Otter Tail Power Company, Sioux Manufacturing and Choice Bank.
"CareerViewXR is honored to play a part in this innovative project," said Matthew Chaussee, CEO and co-founder of CareerViewXR. "It's particularly meaningful that a portion of the field trips being showcased were filmed at employers located across the region."
In total, students can explore over 76 experiences through the mobile classroom's virtual reality headsets, or by accessing the platform on laptops, tablets and other devices.
Amanda Hegland, director of the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation, played a significant role in putting this project together.
She said that she and several people from the area came together to develop a proposal for the Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP) grant, and together came up with the mobile classroom idea.
Region 3 of the RWIP includes Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette and Towner counties.
"When this first came about we approached the NRABC and Eddy County to invest in the van," said Hegland. "One of the goals is to let students see a first hand approach at the local jobs that are available here in our region.
"We are in a place where people have the opportunity to choose where they want to live and find a job that fits their needs. We hope people will choose to live in our region, specifically New Rockford, and see that there are good, high paying jobs right here in this part of North Dakota."
Partners and RWIP committee members include the Cavalier County Job Development Authority, Forward Devils Lake, Ramsey County, Towner County Economic Development Corporation, Benson County Job Development Authority, New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation and Eddy County.
Ann Pollert has been appointed as the job coach for the program and will lead the Mobile Career Exploration Center (MCEC) initiative. The MCEC project will include school visits and engagements with businesses and organizations across the region to highlight career opportunities and make educational and training connections. Additionally, the MCEC van will attend various community events throughout the region.
Pollert told the Transcript on Tuesday that students in Leeds, Maddock, Devils Lake and Warwick have already explored the mobile classroom, with future plans to visit Fort Totten, Langdon and Minnewaukan.
Funding for the MCEC project was secured through the North Dakota Department of Commerce, which received funds from the 2023 session of the state legislature.
This funding supports organizations that address workforce challenges and barriers to employment via the RWIP. The RWIP grants provide aid to regional workforce entities in North Dakota to devise and execute innovative strategies to meet their most pressing workforce challenges.
The program encourages regions and communities to develop sustainable, innovative solutions that assist businesses in finding workers and enable workers and job seekers to connect with jobs and communities. The RWIP funds were granted to the North Central Planning Council, which established a RWIP Committee to create, implement and monitor the project.
For more information or inquiries, please contact Sandy Shively at the North Central Planning Council at (701) 662-8131 or Ann Pollert, Region 3 Mobile Career Exploration Classroom Job Coach, at (701) 740-5207.
