The labour market is very dynamic and is becoming more complex every day. This is challenging both for jobseekers and work consultants. The world is changing rapidly, digitisation and integration of new technologies in our daily life increase every day and, as a consequence of Covid-19, these developments have only accelerated. Nowadays, the need for a different way of working is greater than ever.
Technological developments, such as virtual reality (VR), can be of great added value in the services provided by unemployment agencies and other social organisations, even more so since personal contacts are drastically reduced.
Apart from Covid-19, there is a step to be taken in the field of labour market orientation, especially for people with a distance to the labour market. Such people may find it difficult to obtain a complete overview of the possibilities and challenges of the labour market and different professions. This can be for young people at the start of a working life, but also for people who can no longer practise their ‘old’ profession and have to reorient themselves for a new career.
The project ‘VR Works’ has been set up to address this challenge. The initiative originated in LabXL, the innovation incubator of Weener XL, the work development company of the municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
VR Works’ mission is to build a platform in VR in which the target group can get to know the specifics about a job or work field in an easy and accessible way. By creating a database of VR films, it gives the participant an objective and unambiguous picture of a certain profession, company or process, through virtual company visits. As a consequence, people become less dependent on general knowledge and the service of job-matching is more accessible, also increasing the chances for vulnerable target groups.