On a recent Wednesday at Marion County High School, students in Allen Harmon’s class at Marion County High School took turns wearing Oculus virtual reality goggles, making sure to stand far enough apart so that they didn’t touch one another as they explored the virtual space.
To an outsider, it may have seemed like an activity for a STEM class, but back in reality it was part of the high school’s new Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) class. Representatives from the Lebanon/Marion County Career Center had stopped by the talk about the services they provide and brought along the VR sets with software installed that allowed students to experience different careers.
Construction and lineman jobs were among the high-demand careers students could experience. So too was Healthcare -- students watched a surgical procedure take place in the virtual space.
While not every day in the JAG class involves virtual reality, as the name suggests, the entire course is focused on better preparing students for employment beyond high school. While the class is still very new, Harmon -- who teaches four sections of JAG -- noted that students had taken to it well.
JAG KY is a state affiliate of the national program which provides a curriculum for schools that implement the program and focuses on students “developing skills in career readiness, job attainment and retention, leadership, financial literacy, and other essential life skills.”
For more information on the JAG program, visit https://jag.org/.