Route To Employment: Enabling transitions into work

Abstract

Route to Employment is an educational game that was created as part of the Vocational, Career and Polytechnic Education in MSK II (OKAP II) project to enable students to make better career decisions and help them to get a job after secondary education.

Students visit a website to learn about writing a CV, searching for a job, preparing for the interview process, signing an employment contract and the basics of labour law. Individual modules can be played independently as part of so-called "mini-games" or as a complete game.

Resource overview

Website: Route to Employment

Students choose a pre-made character/avatar with a life story and try to find a job for them. The goal is finding the job for their avatar. Students decide if they wish to choose a pre-made avatar that is similar to them, or to play with a totally random character – for example with pink hair. The life story of character, work experience, education is all pre-made. Students begin by developing a curriculum vitae for their avatar and receive feedback on their CV, tips for real-life job hunting, search for jobs in the jobs’ portal, learn about writing and replying to emails, learn about employment contracts and what they entails, and lastly students will get exposed to the work placement. The time required for the entire game is 1 lesson (approx. 35-45 min).

Description of technology

The game is based on digital interactive experiences and real-life simulations to provide students with all the information they need to make better informed career decisions.

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How the resource makes career guidance more effective, efficient and/or equitable for students

Route to Employment was developed as a game to increase students’ participation and engagement in career development. By playing the game, students become more motivated to learn, pay attention, and understand how the job market works. The game was designed to be used by students with different levels of ability and career interests - providing an equitable opportunity for youth, as they will have the same level of information on the labour market in Czech Republic.

Challenges or potential barriers to use

It is only for the Czech Republic. There are limited occupations that students can choose from. Access to internet is required.

The resource is free of charge.

Support for users

Route to Employment is very self-explanatory. Every student can work with it by themselves. It is best when a teacher explains basic information about labour market before students start going through the resource.

Additional details

 

Has the resource been…	Yes or No?	Description	Link
…informed by research?	Yes	All the information about CV, job interview was tested by HR specialists. A lawyer was consulted regarding legal aspects such as the contract and Labour Codex. The resource was tested by 180 people, e.g. HR specialists, career counsellors, advisors from the Labour Office and also LMC company, which provides the biggest job portal in the Czech Republic.
…funded by government?	Yes	The resource was financed by Regional Project OKAP, which is financed by European Union. Regional Office supports this resource and also Labour Offices are able to use it for their career counselling.
…recognized by peers?	Yes	The resource was nominated for the National award of career counselling 2022.
…evaluated?	Yes	After using the resource, students have the opportunity to complete an evaluation of the service. As of April 2023, 653 users had completed the evaluation giving an average of 4.1 from 5 stars.

This resource is government supported.

Disclaimer: This content is provided by the submitting organisation.