Upward with Transfr

Every nontraditional career path deals with overcoming challenges. Yun Jin’s story has twists and turns she never saw coming, which profoundly changed the way she approaches understanding each individual learner. Don’t miss her inspiring story!

The aviation maintenance sector is poised to have a lot of open roles to fill in the coming years. So how can educators and workforce agencies help fill those gaps? On this episode, hear from Transfr's own Brian Hartz (Business Owner, Virtual Training Facility) as well as Emily Perks (Employer Services Manager at Man-Tra-Con) and Karen Johnson (Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Aviation Technologies at SIU Carbondale and VP and Journal Editor ATEC) as they discuss the state of the industry and how VR sims can help people get into well-paying jobs in this high-growth field.

A lack of trained, certified aviation mechanics spells disaster for transportation, logistics, shipping, and a host of other industries. It's going to take the right tech and the right people to help train the future of this vital sector. For this episode, we're joined by Transfr instructional designer Jeff Hodson and Southern Illinois University professor (among other numerous titles) Karen Johnson for an fun, informative dive into how we turned Karen's years of experience into a series of in-depth sims that align with FAA Part 147.

Instead of going college, Transfr Creative Producer Ryan McLaughlin went on tour. Join us on a journey through his unique background, complete with ups, downs, and an inside look into the life of a working musician and producer. It's a story of how life can take you to unexpected places and bring you where you need to be.

The challenges for present and future healthcare workers are great, but tools like VR training are helping level the playing field. Hear from Transfr's Head of Health Sciences, Lori Hardie, and Senior Experience Designer Sydney Beaumont how VR sims can help these essential workers get the reps they need to master vital skills. Plus nursing director Lori Yates-Hodges and Registered Nurse Sydney Denstorff help us understand how this kind of training can positively impact education for frontline healthcare workers and improve patient outcomes.

Healthcare is in crisis: Fallout from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with older professionals aging out of the industry, have created a looming wave of vacancies in this vital industry. Only a combination of human effort and technology can help stem the tide. Hear Transfr's Head of Health Sciences, Lori Hardie, and Sydney Beaumont, a Senior Experience Designer take us through how we're building the future of VR healthcare training. We're also joined by nursing director Lori Yates-Hodges and Registered Nurse Sydney Denstorff for a firsthand account of conditions in the field from people presently working in healthcare.

Jeanine A DeFalco, PhD, is Transfr's Director of Instructional Design, but getting here was anything but a straight path! Explore her story, from theater and retail to a PhD and career in learning science, in this fast-paced, compelling interview. You'll leave with a new appreciate for the power of data and storytelling.

Transfr founder and CEO Bharani Rajakumar's family immigrated to the US when he a small child. Growing up, he did a wide array of jobs before eventually founding Transfr. Check out his inspiring story and hear his vision for a world where there are more diverse pathways towards career success and upward mobility in this fun, thought-provoking chat!

Manufacturing is surging back here in the USA, but not everyone knows it — especially not young people just entering the workforce, as well as job seekers of all ages who could swell the ranks of this critical industry. Transfr sims give learners of all stripes the skills they need to tackle the manufacturing jobs of the future, but who else is out there forwarding this vital mission? We're joined this episode by Transfr's own Mitch Dickey (Government Relations Manager) and, from the Illinois Manufacturers Association, Vice President of Education and Workforce Policy, Sarah Hartwick. We discussed Manufacturing Month and the effort underway to spread the word about the world of "Modern Manufacturing" and present training opportunities to help interested parties find well-paying jobs in this high-growth field.

When it comes to finding the right job, you need to see it before you can be it! VR career exploration is one of the most important things we do hereat Transfr, so it seemed like a natural progression to bring career exploration everywhere — without special equipment — and thus our AR Experience was born! We sat down with Transfr's own Ali Zaccaria (VP, Creative) and Tom Darling (Director of Career Exploration and Product-Market Fit) for a spirited discussion of how we stood up this amazing program and what it has to offer job seekers and all those varied organizations who seek to get people on their own pathways to prosperity!