iXplore, In Partnership With OrthoWorx, Soft Launches Orthopedic Career Virtual Reality Training Program

January 22, 2025 at 4:07 p.m.
Through the financial support of a grant from the Don Wood Foundation, OrthoWorx has engaged in a partnership with iXplore to provide exposure to prospective job paths by way of “gamifying” hard-to-fill roles through virtual reality modules in three key concentrations, including polishing, machining and entrepreneurship. Photo Provided.
Through the financial support of a grant from the Don Wood Foundation, OrthoWorx has engaged in a partnership with iXplore to provide exposure to prospective job paths by way of “gamifying” hard-to-fill roles through virtual reality modules in three key concentrations, including polishing, machining and entrepreneurship. Photo Provided.

By Staff Report

Last week, iXplore, in partnership with OrthoWorx, “soft launched” their orthopedic career virtual reality experience and gathered feedback from students and industry professionals.
As previously reported, through the financial support of a grant from the Don Wood Foundation, OrthoWorx has engaged in a partnership with iXplore to provide exposure to prospective job paths by way of “gamifying” hard to fill roles through virtual reality (VR) modules in three key concentrations, including polishing, machining and entrepreneurship, according to a news release from OrthoWorx.
On Wednesday, as a part of their January BootCamp, students from the Kosciusko Student Venture Challenge had the opportunity to check out the newly developed VR experience and contribute “voice of customer” feedback that iXplore will use in their final stages of development. Additionally, on Thursday, industry professionals who shared their expertise with iXplore to help develop the VR experience, had a chance to see the modules they helped create. This included meeting characters in the virtual world that were based on real employees in the community and the environments they work in.
After trying the VR experience on Wednesday, a senior from Lakeland Christian said, “I loved how interactive it was and how it was personalized! I was able to learn something new. This is a really cool thing to make available for people!” In addition, a junior from Tippecanoe Valley said, “I love learning about the different jobs, and I wanted to learn more!”
“It’s always exciting to see students immerse themselves in our partner experiences and provide valuable feedback,” said Heather Jackson, co-founder and CEO of iXplore. “At this event, over 80% of students said they preferred VR over other ways of exploring careers, and nearly all shared that they learned something new they hadn’t known before.”
After this week, iXplore will use the feedback they have gathered and add finishing touches to the program with a goal for students to begin engaging with the modules this spring. Students from Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw, Wawasee and Whitko schools will be able to immerse themselves in the world of orthopedics and see the career opportunities they could pursue in.

Last week, iXplore, in partnership with OrthoWorx, “soft launched” their orthopedic career virtual reality experience and gathered feedback from students and industry professionals.
As previously reported, through the financial support of a grant from the Don Wood Foundation, OrthoWorx has engaged in a partnership with iXplore to provide exposure to prospective job paths by way of “gamifying” hard to fill roles through virtual reality (VR) modules in three key concentrations, including polishing, machining and entrepreneurship, according to a news release from OrthoWorx.
On Wednesday, as a part of their January BootCamp, students from the Kosciusko Student Venture Challenge had the opportunity to check out the newly developed VR experience and contribute “voice of customer” feedback that iXplore will use in their final stages of development. Additionally, on Thursday, industry professionals who shared their expertise with iXplore to help develop the VR experience, had a chance to see the modules they helped create. This included meeting characters in the virtual world that were based on real employees in the community and the environments they work in.
After trying the VR experience on Wednesday, a senior from Lakeland Christian said, “I loved how interactive it was and how it was personalized! I was able to learn something new. This is a really cool thing to make available for people!” In addition, a junior from Tippecanoe Valley said, “I love learning about the different jobs, and I wanted to learn more!”
“It’s always exciting to see students immerse themselves in our partner experiences and provide valuable feedback,” said Heather Jackson, co-founder and CEO of iXplore. “At this event, over 80% of students said they preferred VR over other ways of exploring careers, and nearly all shared that they learned something new they hadn’t known before.”
After this week, iXplore will use the feedback they have gathered and add finishing touches to the program with a goal for students to begin engaging with the modules this spring. Students from Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw, Wawasee and Whitko schools will be able to immerse themselves in the world of orthopedics and see the career opportunities they could pursue in.

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