In today’s evolving educational landscape, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are transforming traditional learning. Leading this change is zSpace, a company that uses immersive AR/VR technology to help learners in Career Technical Education (CTE) explore careers and build skills. This post highlights how zSpace supports career readiness through career awareness, exploration, and preparedness.
Career Awareness: Introducing Possibilities
A challenge in education is helping learners grasp the variety of careers available to them. Traditional methods often struggle to engage learners with real-world experiences. zSpace changes this by allowing learners to virtually explore careers—from marine biology to architecture—giving them hands-on insight into day-to-day job responsibilities.
zSpace’s interactive simulations let learners visualize themselves in various roles, sparking curiosity and helping them make informed career choices.
Career Exploration: Engaging in Real-World Simulations
After sparking interest, zSpace enables deeper exploration of specific fields. Learners interested in healthcare, for example, can use virtual anatomy applications to diagnose ailments or explore muscle movements. Those leaning toward engineering can design and test prototypes in a virtual environment, gaining practical knowledge of product development.
This active learning helps students build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, boosting their confidence and readiness for the next step.
Career Preparedness: Building Skills for the Future
As learners focus on their chosen fields, developing the right skills becomes crucial. zSpace offers virtual training modules that help learners practice industry-relevant techniques, such as virtual welding or automotive troubleshooting. These simulations provide instant feedback, allowing learners to master competencies at their own pace.
zSpace’s content is aligned with current industry standards, ensuring learners gain up-to-date skills valued in the job market. This prepares them for certification exams and career success.
Preparing the Next Generation
By combining career awareness, exploration, and preparedness, zSpace equips learners with the tools needed for future careers. With AR/VR shaping the future of workforce development, learners using zSpace are better prepared to pursue careers that drive innovation.
The journey from classroom to career has never been more exciting, and with zSpace leading the way, students have the opportunity to explore, learn, and succeed in a fast-changing world.
Unlock your learners’ potential in your state with zSpace’s immersive AR/VR career exploration before opportunities pass them by. Contact zSpace today for a personal demonstration: https://info.
Michael Carbenia, Senior Executive Director of Workforce, zSpace [email protected]
The views, opinions, services, and products shared in this post are solely for educational purposes and do not imply agreement or endorsement by Advance CTE, nor discrimination against similar brands, products, or services not mentioned.
Career Technical Education (CTE) systems are filled with proud moments of learner achievement, from graduation ceremonies to competitions and certifications. Research consistently shows that these recognition opportunities have positive impacts, increasing knowledge and engagement in learning. At NOCTI/Nocti Business Solutions (NBS), we believe in recognizing talent across all CTE stakeholder groups, including education professionals. These professionals include teachers, administrators, work-based learning coordinators, and data professionals—roles that are important to the success of CTE systems. Let’s explore the unique certification opportunities designed specifically for CTE professionals and why they are essential for navigating the seas of career success 
From the first Career Technical Education (CTE) course in middle or high school to the final class in a pathway, course content should encourage learners to envision a future in high-pay, high-growth careers. As a State CTE Director, you may be leading your state CTE adoption, interested in increasing the number of learners in your state who take CTE courses, or working in a state that needs to boost its economic development through CTE. Whatever your initiative is, build CTE momentum in your state by encouraging your state’s CTE department leads, administrators, and teachers to try these three ways to encourage career exploration, provide up-to-date career information, and help learners prepare for a job search.
The key to CTE is practicing and building industry-specific skills. 
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On June 8, Advance CTE held the first of three events that encompass our Virtual June Meeting Series. The series offers three opportunities to equip Career Technical Education (CTE) leaders with the latest research and innovations, empower them to succeed, and elevate their work to raise awareness of the value of CTE. 
Dallas Foundation Chief Impact Officer Drexell Owusu was candid about the equity and quality of life challenges facing residents of Dallas. However, he was equally optimistic about the role that CTE can have in providing high-quality pathways to maximize recent economic growth and increase the number of young adults achieving a living wage to 50 percent within one generation. He identified five strategies that comprise the Dallas Thrives initiative to achieve this goal. 
Thomson Reuters Director of Community Relations 
Lorain County Community College Manager of Career Technical Pathways & Programs 
This week, Advance CTE released its third shared-vision, 
The CTE Forward Summit built on Advance CTE’s previous national Summits – held every five years – and will lead to the development of a shared vision for CTE. This vision, which must be both daring and measurable, will serve as the “true north” for the CTE community and its key partners in the coming years as we work to raise the quality of CTE pathways, ensure each learner has access to and the supports needed to be successful in those pathways and provide economic opportunity for everyone.
Building on interest from our members – and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Joyce Foundation – we decided to host another round of three Perkins V implementation meetings, joined once again by our excellent partners. Over the course of three months, we brought together about 300 leaders from across 44 states and Washington, DC, along with invited national CTE and workforce development experts from over 20 partner organizations, including National Skills Coalition, National Governors Association, ExcelinEd, Council of Chief State School Officers, New America, Education Strategy Group and others, to help states:
At each meeting, states had the chance to present on their draft plans and strategies and get direct, actionable feedback from their peers and the invited partners. State leaders dug in deeply on issues including improving the quality of CTE programs/programs of study, closing equity gaps, leveraging the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment to drive local innovation and learner-focused programming, aligning CTE and workforce development, and meaningful engagement of key stakeholders, such as Tribal communities and employers.
What can state leaders do to expand access to high-quality career technical education (CTE) in rural communities? That was the focus of an event held last Thursday by the Congressional CTE Caucus, in coordination with Advance CTE. 
How can state and local leaders tackle these challenges? During the event, Dr. Marcie Mack — state CTE director for Oklahoma, spoke about 
Jan Hanlon, executive director for the Mountain State Education Service Cooperative, discussed how West Virginia is tackling access challenges through Simulated Workplace programs. Through Simulated Workplace, more than