“It’s widely recognised that current careers advice and guidance simply isn’t fit for purpose,” said David Darlaston, the company’s CEO.
“What’s missing is meaningful engagement between businesses and young people, giving students and school leavers the opportunity to connect with real companies and spend time exploring what they have to offer in terms of work experience, apprenticeships and career paths.
“PLANit Global has been designed to be appealing and functional for young people, showing them the businesses in their area and the types of careers they can follow, and presenting this information using the game-play format they are familiar with.
“Businesses, too, can cost-effectively promote their brand, their values and the sector in which they operate – whether they’re a micro-business or a multi-national – whilst supporting their local community and fulfilling corporate social responsibility commitments.”
The PLANit Global platform was launched recently to an audience of businesses, schools and public sector organisations at the company’s Wolverhampton Science Park base. The event was attended by Wolverhampton South West MP Rob Marris along with several local organisations including Ash & Lacy, BT, Walsall FC, City of Wolverhampton Council, Birmingham City University, Midland Metro, ACE Academy and Investors in Excellence.
The platform models a universe with 27 different PLANits, each featuring a different business sector, such as professional services, manufacturing, retail and so on.
Businesses buy a space on the relevant PLANit for their sector and upload information about the company, the staff who work there, the jobs they do, the qualifications and experience they have, and their opinions on what it’s like to work there.
Young people (or ‘explorers’) pilot their customisable spaceship around the PLANits, landing on the ones that appeal to them, ‘collecting’ the companies they are interested in and saving them to their ‘My PLANit’ area.
The technology has been thoroughly beta-tested in West Midlands schools and colleges with the help of educational consultants WiderLearning, who work with schools to develop innovative solutions to long-standing problems. The challenges facing careers education teachers, with pressures on time and resources, have been one of the driving forces behind the foundation of PLANit Global.
The launch of the platform is a key stage in the development of PLANit Global, with future plans including a nationwide roll-out and the development of an app and a ‘DNA matcher’ facility, helping explorers find the right match for their personality, experience, likes and dislikes.
Recent significant investment commitments will see the platform expand into the Middle East and Europe in 2016.
