Case studies
Client Profile
Big Ideas is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inform, inspire and connect curious learners ages 13+ to career paths and professionals in the skilled trades.
Aboard a mobile learning lab equipped with simulators of different skilled trades, Big Ideas travels to different schools and organizations. They meet up with learners to expose them to career possibilities in skilled trades. This approach also helps to identify talents and inspire vocational interests.
In addition to schools, they are also present at specialized events like career fairs, expos, workshops, and community events.
Client Context
Mimbus had the opportunity to interview Ryan Ott, Managing Director of Big Ideas. We wanted to find out more about their work and the impact of our Wood-Ed Table solution on their activities and on promoting woodworking.
Big Ideas’ day-to-day activities focus on raising awareness and exposing young students to the skilled trades. Their mission is to inform, inspire and connect learners to different opportunities and inspiration within skilled trade careers.
In the mobile Learning Lab, learners follow one another in small groups on the simulators to discover the different trades available. In total, there are four fifteen-minute sessions during which they can try out these professions. All simulators are taught by trade professionals as instructors.
This short, dynamic, and participative format is important for keeping these learners engaged.
Ryan Ott explains that the demand for labor in manual trades is growing all the time. It is essential to anticipate these needs by attracting learners now.
Despite the current high demand, companies need to understand that they will have similar needs in the years to come. The aim of virtual and augmented reality is therefore to offer a realistic experience to arouse the interest of learners.
Client Needs
The idea of the mobile truck was the best solution for reaching out to this new generation. This innovation has been very well received by skilled trade professionals as instructors of all ages, who have been trained to use the simulators effectively.
These instructors are all professionals in the trades they present. This makes the experience even more enriching and authentic: they have lots of experience and anecdotes to tell.
While some may be a little reticent about simulators – not realistic enough, video-game feel – their doubts are quickly erased when they test the simulators.
“What an excellent way to learn, I would have loved to have had this to learn from when I was younger!”
“You really learn, it’s effective, realistic and professional!”
Our Impact
Wood-ED Table’s place in the lab:
The wood sector is omnipresent and constantly evolving in the United States, so it was important to highlight it to the coming generation.
The Wood-Ed Table simulator is used a lot. Around 100 learners use it at each event from September to June. Big Ideas generally takes part in 2 to 3 events a week.
Over the last 2 years, more than 10,000 young people have been able to try their hand at wood cutting.
The professionals consider the simulator to be very realistic, while the students are surprised at how easy it is to learn while having fun.
Scoring creates “positive competition”. It motivates learners to improve their performance and do better than their peers. The feedback is generally very positive. The scores also give them the impression that they are making rapid progress.
It has also helped to boost the confidence of the instructors in their teaching. Scores are not recorded, as the main objective remains discovery rather than measuring performance.
Benefits & results
“Many people think that with robotization, automation, and artificial intelligence, a lot of jobs will be lost. You can build new bridges, but the old ones will always need to be maintained and repaired. In my opinion, it’s very important to preserve know-how and the skilled trades.
That’s what we’re doing with Big Ideas and the mobile Learning Lab.”
Ryan Ott