Health care, architecture, business, agriculture — with so many different options, how do you know whether a specific job or career path is the right fit for you? This straightforward question can feel daunting, but answering it is getting a little bit easier thanks to a recent technology innovation from MDI, a Minnesota-based manufacturer, and its Unified Work program. In collaboration with workforce education provider Transfr VR, more Unified Work participants are getting the chance to test out job options before committing significant time and resources to training.
Unified Work seeks to give people with disabilities the tools they need to thrive in their careers. In some cases, these tools are quite literal, like the program’s new virtual reality (VR)– equipped eye goggles. Designed in partnership with Transfr VR, these goggles create relatable career skills experiences by casting interactive work simulations through the eyewear. Users of the technology are able to explore a variety of work experiences (like manufacturing assembly lines, distribution and logistics, mechanical shop work) to better understand and expand their areas of interests.
In the six months since this new tool debuted, nearly 1,000 people from across Minnesota have virtually experienced more than 500 different career skills courses through the MDI–Transfr VR partnership. Already, this creative technology has provided another much-needed tool to the social enterprise manufacturer: helping close the employment gap for people with disabilities, which in the U.S. is currently about twice the rate for people without disabilities.
MDI functions differently than regular businesses. Rather than focusing solely on maximizing profit, all of its revenue is used to fund its social cause of empowering people with disabilities. For more than 60 years, MDI has been dedicated to building inclusive workplaces that put people first. When MDI hires a new employee at one of its four facilities, it focuses on the person’s abilities and strengths, rather than their limitations.
This focus is what inspired the creation of MDI’s interactive philanthropic workforce program called Unified Work. Founded on the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to work, this program provides training for participants to learn essential career-building tips, like how to deliver a personal elevator pitch and communicate with confidence while strengthening the skills and interpersonal attributes needed to succeed in the workplace.
MDI believes that when a person is employed, it gives them independence and self-sufficiency, helping them feel empowered and valued. The first step to finding meaningful employment is to explore all that is available. Thanks to the innovative Unified Work VR experience powered by MDI, that is now more possible than ever.
To learn more, visit unifiedwork.com