North Dakota VR career exploration program reaches all K-12 schools

Background

North Dakota faces a dual challenge: a significant workforce shortage and a largely rural geography that makes traditional career exploration logistics difficult. Many students live hours from in-demand job sites, making conventional field trips costly and time-consuming. In 2023, the state legislature allocated $500,000 to the North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education (NDCTE) to launch a statewide VR career exploration programme integrated into the existing RUReady ND platform.

The Deployment

The programme is delivered through CareerViewXR, developed by Fargo-based startup Be More Colorful. The platform offers 118 career modules spanning industries including healthcare, skilled trades, energy, construction, and manufacturing. Students can explore experiences such as working at the top of a wind turbine, assisting in an emergency room, or working in an autobody shop.

Initially scoped to middle and high schools, the programme was expanded in late 2025 to include all elementary schools in the state following a second legislative funding round. More than 300 HTC VIVE Focus Plus headsets were donated to public and private secondary schools in February 2024 through a partnership between Be More Colorful and HTC VIVE. Content is also accessible via desktop, tablet, and mobile for schools that prefer screen-based access.

Mobile Outreach

Career exploration coach Ann Pollert operates a mobile van equipped with seven headsets, visiting schools across six counties in northeastern North Dakota. She works with approximately five students at a time, using the modules to identify students' interests and direct further guidance. Pollert frames the VR sessions as a supplement rather than a replacement for human counselling, noting that smaller rural schools often lack dedicated career counsellors.

Outcomes and Outlook

State director Wayde Sick acknowledges it is too early to measure long-term impact, such as whether the programme has increased the number of students remaining in North Dakota post-graduation. The strategic intent is to expose students to career possibilities in elementary and middle school so that by high school they can make more informed course selections. Be More Colorful was recognised as a Yass Prize semifinalist, receiving a $200,000 award to improve the platform and expand to new markets.

Quotes

“This is the first glance to show what is out there without throwing a bunch of students on a bus where you drive two hours for a field trip and two hours back.”

“I would go into classroom after classroom and give a 50-minute spiel, but they had no visual. With this, I could take it to the school and show those kids what it means to replace an excavator. It helps me identify the students I need to further encourage.”

“The support of the state legislature has been nothing short of extraordinary.”