The Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership has become a pioneer partner in Careers in 360, a new digital platform designed to give people immersive access to workplaces across Wales.
The Partnership says the technology could help address long-standing challenges around careers visibility, work experience and access to employers in a geographically large and largely rural region.
The RSP, one of four across Wales, was established in 2022 to provide labour market intelligence and bring employers, education providers and local partners together to understand skills needs in Ceredigion and Powys. Its work includes analysing data, gathering insight directly from industry and operating a series of sector-based clusters in areas such as construction, advanced manufacturing, energy and net zero. The Partnership uses this evidence to influence regional skills planning and to advise Welsh Government on future provision.
Speaking on the Unlocking Mid Wales podcast, Emma Thomas, Chair of the Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership, said the platform had particular value for a region where many employers are not immediately visible to young people or career changers. She noted that the geography of Mid Wales can make traditional work experience difficult to access, with opportunities spread across a wide area.
Emma said:
“You don’t know what you don’t know, and until young people have access to a platform like this, they don’t have their eyes opened in the same way.”
The RSP’s Employment and Skills Plan highlights several priorities, including careers information, work experience, leadership and management, addressing gender imbalance in sectors such as engineering, net zero skills, and improving access to apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships. The Partnership believes that digital tools can complement local provision by helping people explore sectors they may not otherwise encounter.
Emma said the platform offers an early insight into roles people may not have considered and helps break down stereotypes around industries such as engineering, where assumptions about heavy or dirty work can deter interest. She explained that many businesses in the region have modern facilities and require a wide range of skills, and that showing this visually can give people a clearer sense of what a career might involve.
The platform allows users to move through virtual workplaces in 360 degrees, using environments created through filmed locations, 3D modelling and image-editing technologies. It offers sector-specific exploration and a simple activity to help users identify the types of roles they may be suited to. The system also links directly to employers, giving users access to a virtual business expo and opportunities for online field trips to workplaces.
Its creator, Andries Pretorius, said the idea emerged from work in immersive learning and a recognition that online engagement had changed significantly over the past decade. He said platforms built on text alone are often less engaging for younger users, whereas visual and interactive tools can help sustain interest.
Andries added:
“If we can engage people, we can educate them, and if we can educate them, we can inspire them to take action.”
Andries told the podcast that the platform is intended to sit alongside existing careers resources rather than replace them, and that the involvement of Regional Skills Partnerships and industry clusters helps ensure accuracy. He said the platform already includes doorways into 23 sectors and is being expanded with new roles and employer content as part of a wider careers initiative across Wales.
The Partnership said the tool could support both young people and adults considering career changes, particularly where travel to employers is difficult. It also sees potential in helping schools and colleges provide more consistent careers guidance, with free access available across Wales.
Career exploration “has changed significantly” in recent years, the RSP said, and digital tools are becoming increasingly important as employers work to attract talent in areas such as engineering, construction and net zero. The Partnership believes the platform’s launch will offer a new way for people in Mid Wales to understand the opportunities available locally and the skills needed to pursue them.
Emma said the Partnership ultimately wants young people to see a future for themselves in the region, with clear pathways into good quality employment. The platform, she said, is one part of a wider effort to strengthen the regional skills ecosystem and support sustainable economic growth.
Hear more in the Unlocking Mid Wales podcast episode Connecting Learners and Employers in Mid Wales. Listen here.
