Future of advice: VR workshop inspires employment agency professionals!

Future of advice: VR workshop inspires employment agency professionals!

In a current workshop entitled "Future of Consulting", Prof. Dr. Dennis Mocigemba from the University of the Federal Employment Agency (HDBA) in Mannheim presented the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) for career advice. On June 7, 2025, 24 representatives of the agencies for work from Saxony, Berlin and Brandenburg came together to develop innovative application scenarios for these technologies. The workshop took place in the BTU (Brandenburg Technical University) and aimed to develop concrete ideas for the integration of VR into the advisory practice of the participants. Prof. Dr. Mocigemba opened the event with a keynote speech for the "mediatization of educational and career counseling", in which he highlighted the role of digital media.

The participants had the opportunity to discuss creative approaches in small groups that highlights both opportunities and limits of digital media. Successful projects by students were also presented during the workshop. Lea Landwehr and Tim Walter presented their results, which included practical usage scenarios for career counseling. Prof. Dr. Peer Schmidt, Vice President for Studies and Teaching at the BTU, emphasized the future potential for cooperation between the HDBA and the Agencies of Labor. Thomas Poppel, team leader of the professional counseling at the Cottbus Employment Agency, was positive about the format and the new impulses for the use of digital aids in the professional world.

integration of VR and AR in education

The increasing use of virtual reality and augmented reality (AR) in education is promoted by various institutions. The Erkelenz vocational college implemented tailor-made AR and VR applications to improve learning. Christoph Mones, a educator at the institution, emphasizes that these technologies promote active learning and make complex concepts more understandable. At the upcoming event "Immersive Worlds: Between Virtuality and Reality" on November 21, 2023, Mones will talk about the advantages of digital media in class.

The advantages of AR and VR in education include:

• increased engagement and motivation of the students.
• Promotion of creativity and problem -solving skills.
• adaptation to different learning styles.

Innovative projects in this area include VR research of a gearbox, AR animations for visualizing internal processes of wind turbines as well as interactive explorations of the learning environment. However, the implementation of such projects requires technical know-how and financial and technical resources, which is why advanced training for teachers and partnerships with other educational institutions are necessary.

future prospects in the field of education

The market for VR and AR applications in the education sector is growing steadily, but there is only a limited number of freely licensable offers. In the meantime, textbook publishers are still using VR and AR technologies. Despite the challenges, VR and AR applications open up new opportunities for teaching by using them as an introduction, work equipment or exercise formats. Examples such as Google Expeditions and the Civilization App App enable pupils to enjoy interactive experiences and get to know historical artifacts and special places.

The integration of digital media in class could not only enrich learning, but also prepare students for the technological future. Tools such as Cospacesedu and Reality Composer allow learners to design their own VR and AR content. Therefore, the call for a state-funded national VR and AR studio, which could support the development and exchange of content, is central to the future design of educational offers.