Arizona students use virtual reality, hands-on projects to prepare for future careers

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Arizona is losing jobs and that could make it a challenge to find one. But the Chandler Unified School District is helping expose their students to various jobs through their multimedia career literacy program.

What we know:

Kids are exposed to both white collar and blue collar jobs, and they have partners like Intel and McCarthy Construction. Originally, there were only four schools that did this program as a pilot, but this year they have 13 schools. This all comes at a time when the Bureau of Labor statistics says Arizona has lost jobs since last year.

Students are developing a wide range of skills, from wearing virtual reality headsets to learn about agriculture, to figuring out how to make and market shoes out of recycled materials.

“You need good communication skills, problem-solving skills,” James Johansen, a fifth grader, said. 

Big picture view:

While recent state data shows Arizona has seen a slight dip in overall jobs over the past year, educators are focused on the future. 

“We’re preparing them for jobs that don’t exist yet,” says Kristin Kinghorn, the principal of Anderson Elementary School. “It’s really training them and teaching them different skills so that they can be successful when they decide to go down through that career path.”

The district exposes students to dozens of careers, including law enforcement. In May 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says there were at least 8,700 police and sheriff’s patrol officers in Arizona. 

“I’m able to build those relationships….to see police officers as people who help, people who are available to point you in the right direction,” Steven Pfeifer, a Chandler Police Department school resource officer, said. 

Why you should care:

It is so that students like Violet Jecques, who wants to be a detective, could be ready. 

“You really have to think to solve a case,” Jecques says. “You can’t just go into it blind.”

Johansen, who wants to be an aerospace engineer, said, “You need creativity, like if this basic thing doesn’t work, we need to imagine something else.”

Dig deeper:

Students present to the class and interview professionals, like engineers from Honeywell. 

“I learned more about it, and how it works, and what you need to actually do that job,” Johansen said.

By the numbers:

By 2032, O-NET Online says industrial engineering jobs in Arizona are projected to grow 28%. 

“They might not realize that skills they’re learning now, communication, thinking globally, all of that could contribute to their careers in aerospace,” Camp Morton, a Honeywell engineer and air safety investigator, said. 

“This has just been a really surreal opportunity for me, but it’s real,” Johansen said.

What’s next:

Next school year, the district says the program is going to launch district-wide from Kindergarten through grade 12. 

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