Transforming job readiness through immersive learning

This project is designed to help job seekers and young people see a pathway into work more clearly, especially those who have struggled to connect with traditional training.

Working with New Zealand’s Ministry of Social Development, the government agency responsible for helping people into employment, supporting income and social wellbeing, and strengthening outcomes for communities, SkillsVR supports a workforce development approach that is more practical, more accessible, and far easier to engage with for learners facing barriers such as low confidence, literacy challenges, or limited exposure to different industries.

Rather than asking people to imagine what a role might feel like, the programme lets them experience it. That changes the quality of the learning and often the quality of the decision making too. Learners can explore industries safely, reflect on whether the work is right for them, and build recognised skills that help them move closer to employment.

Implementation

SkillsVR delivers short, scenario based VR training across sectors including construction, tourism, water operations, security, and horticulture. These experiences are used through regionally delivered VR Job Expo events and through MSD offices, creating a model that works both as a learning tool and as an employment engagement touchpoint.

The learning model includes:

• immersive workplace simulations that let learners trial real job environments safely
• onsite ‘VR champions’ who support learners through the experience
• digital badges and micro credentials that can be added to CVs and employment profiles
• mobile expansion through SkillsVR Mobile to improve access for remote learners and people without headsets
• integrated dashboards for monitoring, reporting, and programme visibility

This matters because the programme does more than deliver content. It fits into existing employment support workflows, gives MSD a scalable way to reach people across regions, and makes the learning easier to access for groups often underserved by standard training models.

National reach, practical outcomes

The programme has already delivered meaningful reach and measurable results across Aotearoa:

• 4,000+ job seekers and young people engaged across regions
• 300+ job placements linked to VR based programmes
• 34% of participants moving into work or further training
• 3,200+ Site Safe compliance modules completed
• 90% average pass rate for Site Safe modules
• 95.3% pass rate across completed non compliance modules

Training becomes dramatically faster

• security training reduced from 2 days to 45 minutes
• pruning training reduced from 2 weeks to 2 days
• most modules completed in under 15 minutes, making the model highly scalable and easier to repeat

A stronger model for public impact

What makes this case study especially strong is not just the numbers. It is the way the programme reaches people who are often missed by traditional systems, including Māori, Pasifika, regional learners, and young people not in education, employment, or training. The format lowers barriers, supports different learning styles, and gives people a more immediate sense of what work could look like for them.