GUEST COLUMN:
Andries Pretorius
Creator
Careers In 360
Careers in 360 did not begin as a typical innovation. I wasn’t working in a careers service or responding to a specific skills gap. At the time, I had just finished my career as a professional rugby player, and only a small proportion of my teammates had taken steps to prepare for life after the game.
I had been studying psychology, including business psychology, and started building a platform to help professional players consider their future careers. Engagement improved quickly, and the idea evolved as we began creating immersive learning and training simulations for fire and police services.
Around this point, a former colleague challenged me to combine the careers tool we had built for players with the immersive platforms we were developing for training and marketing. The question was whether we could present careers information in a way that matched how people now consume digital content.
Over the past decade, we have moved from an information economy to an attention economy. Young people engage with content differently, and if we cannot capture their attention, we cannot educate or inspire them. That challenge became the starting point for what is now Careers in 360.
The aim was never to replace existing careers resources. There is plenty of helpful information available, but much of it sits on text-based websites that don’t always feel engaging to a generation used to highly visual and interactive environments. We wanted to take the strengths of immersive technology and apply them to careers guidance. The result is a platform where users can step inside virtual workplaces, explore sectors in 360 degrees and move through realistic environments, whether that is a construction site, a creative studio or an emergency services setting.
The platform begins with a simple activity to help users think about the types of roles that may suit them. From there, they can move through doorways representing different sectors and look around workplaces created through a mix of 3D modelling, filmed environments and modern image-editing technologies. The experience is designed to feel real without being overwhelming. An avatar welcomes the user, and moving between sectors works much like navigating a digital gallery.
A distinctive feature of the platform is the connection to employers. Every school, college and university in Wales has access, and within each sector users can visit a virtual business expo where employers showcase who they are and what they do. They can also go on virtual field trips, walking through facilities and seeing how businesses operate. In a region like Mid Wales, where geography can make physical visits difficult, this is a practical way to show the range of opportunities that exist locally. It also helps highlight roles people may not realise are part of a sector, from creative or people-focused positions to technology-driven roles.
The feedback from the Regional Skills Partnerships and industry clusters has been invaluable. We understand the technology, but we are not specialists in each of the industries represented on the platform. Insight from employers and sector representatives ensures the information users receive reflects real workplace practice. Their involvement helps us break stereotypes and present an accurate picture of what different sectors offer.
Looking ahead, I expect the world of work to change significantly in the next few years. We already use AI throughout our development process, not as a way to replace judgement but to learn quickly and refine the experience. One of the areas we are focusing on is personalisation. In future, a young person will be able to have a conversation within the platform about their interests, circumstances and qualifications, and receive tailored guidance that reflects the realities of each industry. This will not be generic text, but dialogue shaped by insights from real employers.
Technology itself is neutral. Its impact depends on how it is applied. Our aim is to use it to widen access, challenge assumptions and help people make more confident decisions about their future. Whether someone is exploring careers for the first time or considering a change later in life, the combination of immersion, personalisation and real employer insight can make those decisions more informed.
The pace of technological change means that, before long, people may access platforms like ours through lightweight devices or glasses that project information directly into view. But the principle is the same: if we can engage people, we can educate them, and if we can educate them, we can support them to take their next step. Partnerships across Mid Wales will remain central to making that possible.
Andries Pretorius talks about this and more in the Unlocking Mid Wales podcast episode Connecting Learners and Employers in Mid Wales. Listen to the podcast here.
