Upward with Transfr

Making a plan for career success starts in K-12 schools! At Transfr, we’re passionate about helping the professionals at these foundational schools help their young students get on their own personal pathways to career success. Join us as we continue our conversation with Ashlyn Ozment (Career Development Coordinator) and Zach Martin (Career Exploration Teacher), both from Kannapolis Middle School in North Carolina, as well as Ross Kasun (Director of Content, Programs, and Strategy for K12) about the variety of methods they use to help students explore careers and make meaningful decisions about their futures — including virtual reality! Comment end  

The world of work is constantly evolving! Dedicated educators and counselors at K-12 schools are working hard to help their students understand their career possibilities and create education and training plans that will help them reach their goals. We sat down with  

Ashlyn Ozment (Career Development Coordinator) and Zach Martin (Career Exploration Teacher), both from Kannapolis Middle School in North Carolina, as well as Ross Kasun (Director of Content, Programs, and Strategy for K12) from Transfr to dig into the ways K-12 teams are helping students explore careers and understand the world of work! 

Ryan Ott is the Executive Director of Big Ideas, a nonprofit in Minnesota that specializes in helping students understand the opportunities available to them in the building trades. From a challenging start in high school to starting a career in the building trades and eventually starting and running his own company, Ryan’s journey was filled with twists and turns. Hear how he got to where he is today and why he’s so passionate about helping young learners get on their own pathways to upward mobility in the trades.

Almost no one’s career path is a straight line. Amanda’s had some unexpected turns that ultimately led her to the place — and the person — who she is today. From Galveston Bay and the restaurant industry to Austin and anti-poverty programs, join us for a look into one person’s journey to helping as many people as possible find their own pathways to prosperity.

Transfr’s own Amanda Longtain has spent years creating anti-poverty programs designed to help people forge their own pathways out of poverty and into living-wage careers that give them dignity and upward mobility. Amanda’s work here at Transfr continues that trend, helping job seekers in Texas get on a fast track to careers in the electrical construction industry. Join us for a look at how the idea for this and similar programs came about and what they have to offer.

Career exploration is a vital part of how people choose their a role for their working life. Ryan Ott, from Transfr client Big Ideas, and Transfr’s own Amanda Longtain delve into how VR career exploration is helping young people learn about an array of different careers and build their own unique pathways to well-paying jobs in high-demand industries.

Career exploration is a vital part of the educational journeys of students and job seekers of all ages — but what’s actually going on in the real world where the rubber meets the road? To find out, we sat down with Ryan Ott, from Transfr client Big Ideas, and our own Amanda Longtain to talk about how career exploration changes lives and get some real stories from the field.

Career exploration is one of the most important activities students and job seekers undertake along their career journeys. That's why we put so much time, energy, and thought into our VR career exploration product. We sat down with Transfr's own Bryant Harrison, Director of Product Management, and Shelly Hu, Executive Producer to discuss why career exploration is so important and how we've improved our industry-leading simulations to make them even more useful for schools, workforce boards, and organizations of all kinds.

Understanding the effectiveness of VR is a complex process and one that the industry as a whole is only just beginning to grapple with. Here at Transfr, we’ve assembled a team of learning experts to put our own simulations to the test and find out from users of all kinds exactly what works and what can be improved. Join us for an engaging conversation with two of our lead researchers and hear about what we’re discovering in our studies and what’s coming in the future!

Some of the questions we never stop hearing are “Is VR effective?” and “Does VR really work?” To answer these questions, Transfr has built up an industry-leading team of learning experts who are conducting a series of efficacy studies with a wide array of groups. In this exciting, in-depth conversation, we sit down with two of our lead researchers to discuss the work they’re doing as well as the rigorous academic standards and processes they’re using.