Careers Wales have launched the full release of a new Minecraft world for young learners to explore and develop their careers skills and knowledge with a digital roadshow across Wales.
Called CareersCraft, the resource is now available for anyone with a games console, tablet or laptop to download and has had over one million downloads through Minecraft Marketplace so far.
The new world, targeted at schoolchildren aged 8-13 in Wales, features six zones based upon different Welsh landmarks including the Senedd, Big Pit, Caernarfon Castle and the Coal Exchange.
Each zone is linked to areas of learning within the new Welsh curriculum and the resource is also available to all children in schools across the country through Minecraft Education Edition, accompanied by lesson plans for teachers.
Players are able to explore the areas within the resource, completing a series of challenges and activities as they go. They can learn about different careers in specific sectors and industries in Wales, develop their skills, and discover more about their own strengths and interests.
To celebrate the release, Careers Wales hosted a Wales-wide digivan roadshow over three days, featuring big screens and live demos between 26 and 28 May.
On Wednesday 26 May, mobile screen vans hosted live demos with three special educational needs schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf on Wednesday 26 May to illustrate the wide application and accessibility of the resource.
The next day saw the van arrived in Tenby, to enable excited pupils from four local schools to demo the game right in the harbour itself, as well as on the school sites. A second digivan travelled around Caernarfon Castle and surrounding areas, showcasing the impressive medieval fortress in the Minecraft world.
During the last day of the event, Friday 28 May, pupils from Risca Comprehensive School took a trip to Big Pit to demo CareersCraft, whilst taking in the sights of the museum. A digivan also parked up in front of the Wales Millennium Centre, for locals and passers-by to see how the impressive architecture is used in the resource to help young people learn about careers.
Maggie Wools, a pupil at Risca Comprehensive School, said: “It was a fun experience and great to discover and explore different careers through Minecraft. I think as pupils we would really benefit from using this in the classroom and sharing it with others in the school.”
A second pupil, Ferne Denmead, commented: “It made me think about my future, but in a fun way!”.
Coran Jones, a teacher from Risca Comprehensive School, said: “Both staff and pupils thoroughly enjoyed the trip today! CareersCraft ignited conversations about careers, aspirations and pathways.
“It’s a brilliant build full of interactive activities for the pupils that will definitely help them in the future. I’m looking forward to using the resource and bringing it into the classroom to share with my form class.”
Speaking about the launch and event, Head of Digital and Communications at Careers Wales, Gareth Phillips, said: “We’re delighted that CareersCraft is now available to any young person in Wales and beyond through Minecraft Marketplace.
“CareersCraft is a hugely exciting innovative resource which we hope will raise the aspirations and expand the horizons of future generations.
“It’s been great to see young people exploring the world, developing their creative thinking and problem-solving skills while learning about Welsh heritage and culture and thinking about their future careers.
“We’re looking forward to expanding and developing our CareersCraft world, working with partners to add more content and further increasing awareness of the benefits that digital careers education can bring to young learners across Wales.”
