Realityworks® guideWELD® VR Welding Simulator Named Tech Edvocate Awards 2020 Finalist

    EAU CLAIRE, WI, September 14, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Realityworks, Inc. announces that their guideWELD VR welding simulator has been named a finalist in the 2020 Tech Edvocate Awards from The Edvocate and The Tech Edvocate, two publications dedicated to enhancing the quality of education and opportunities for learning. Selected by a panel of education and technology leaders as well as administrators and parents, guideWELD® VR was recognized in the Best Gamification App or Tool category for helping transform the way educators teach and students learn in-demand job skills.

"We're thrilled that one of our internally developed products was recognized by an organization dedicated to promoting innovation in education," said Timm Boettcher, Realityworks President and CEO. "We created guideWELD VR to give Career & Technical Education instructors a better way to get students in welding careers and teach fundamental skills. Today's teachers need 21st Century tools like these to reach more students, engage them in high-demand careers and prepare them for successful futures."

Manufacturers spent $26.2 billion in 2019 on training opportunities to combat the industry's skills gap. Welding is a critical aspect of metal fabrication and manufacturing, yet young people are not entering skilled trade careers fast enough to keep up with demand. The guideWELD VR welding simulator uses a video game-like, virtual reality platform to get students interested in welding and teach basic skills.

With guideWELD VR, users can get used to welding and practice the techniques needed for proper welds in a safe, spark-free environment. The system provides immediate feedback in a video game-like manner, enabling students to make immediate improvements and develop the correct habits they'll need to weld properly in a real welding booth. To assist instructors in classroom management, especially those who are not experienced welders, guideWELD VR offers recorded weld assessments and grading, curriculum and other teaching resources.

Realityworks' guideWELD VR welding system is part of a line of 21st Century welding training tools designed to get today's students interested in trade skills careers and provide more effective training opportunities while improving classroom management and safety. Recently named the Overall Career Prep Company of the Year by the EdTech Breakthrough Awards, Realityworks offers learning tools and curricula for a variety of programs in addition to trade skills, including FCS, agriculture, health and human services, health sciences and more. For more information on Realityworks' products and programs, visit realityworks.com.

About the Tech Edvocate Awards

The education market is currently worth around $5 trillion globally, and it is forecasted that edtech investment alone will reach $500 billion by the year 2030. In that spirit of change and innovation, The Edvocate and The Tech Edvocate Awards host the Tech Edvocate Awards each year to honor the best that edtech has to offer. Finalists and winners were selected by a panel comprised of two edtech thought leaders, two PreK-12 teachers, one college professor, two K-12 administrators, one college administrator, and two PreK-12 parents.

About Realityworks, Inc.

Established over 20 years ago, Realityworks, Inc. is dedicated to creating experiential learning tools that engage students, help educators teach needed skills and provide career exploration opportunities. Realityworks comprehensive learning solutions combine curriculum with hands-on learning tools, student activities and assessments to create innovative classroom-based learning environments that make a difference. These solutions are used in middle, secondary and post-secondary schools to address a variety of Career & Technical Education pathways, including health & human services, health sciences, welding and trade skills, agriculture education, sex education and more. With simulators in more than 70 percent of U.S. school districts and programs in more than 90 countries around the world, Realityworks has made a worldwide impact on the lives of youth all over the world. For more information, visit www.realityworks.com, or call toll-free 800-830-1416.

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