Workforce Solutions Alamo has teamed up with Alamo Colleges to bring the Alamo region the first ever virtual career and placement center. MyAlamoCareer.org is not just a website, but a virtual 3D environment that offers visitors an experience that compares to visiting a “brick-and-mortar” WSA career center in person. It offers comprehensive services in a single location in the virtual world.
Customers can build a personalized profile and navigate through the site to access all the services available from WSA, as well as information from Alamo Colleges. Individual “rooms” within the virtual career center offer opportunities for customers to complete assessments and explore information available on education and training programs, access job search tools and details on in-demand careers, learn about tuition support and other subsidy programs, as well as services for veterans and for youth.
This virtual career center was built on a gaming platform, rather than as a traditional website, so you’ll see that the high-quality graphics and extensive use of audio will be familiar and accessible to the next generation workforce – we say it’s like an XBOX or Wii game for finding a job. For our customers who aren’t “gamers” – a static or standard html site is available.
We’ve also taken into account that more and more customers prefer to access information on their mobile devices. Our customers can take the new virtual career center with them, through a downloadable app by the same name for the iPhone/iPad.
And just like at an actual WSA career center, there are live people you can go to for help: We’ve built in a live chat function, available all day and through extended hours, manned by representatives from WSA and Alamo Colleges, who can answer questions or provide help.
At Workforce Solutions Alamo, we see this as a logical step in completing our mission – as the next evolution of providing services that customers can access in a way and at times that works for them. This new site helps individuals in the community to access training and build careers – and it connects them to employers, our partners in economic development for our region.
A virtual career center also offers the advantage of continuous access to information for customers who can’t visit a career center during business hours. This online access is especially important for customers in rural areas, who may not have the opportunity to drive to a career center.
This new approach also allows us to communicate with the next generation of workers in a way that resonates with them. It’s a fact of life today that gaming platforms are increasingly popular with youth and young adults.
Finally, the virtual career centers allow us to evolve with advancing technology to deliver information and program services in an efficient and responsive way – while still offering a traditional website and actual career centers for customers comfortable with that delivery system.