According to a recent news release, the K-12 courseware company Edmentum added online courses from Interplay Learning, a maker of immersive training classes for skilled trade work, to its CTE platform under the name Edmentum Career: Trade Prep. The courses use artificial intelligence, immersive simulations and virtual reality to teach middle and high school students about trade work in nine fields: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, appliances, facilities maintenance, clean energy, multifamily maintenance, residential construction and solar.
The news release describes the virtual environments as a means for students to practice essential trade skills without requiring them to handle live equipment, or the school to maintain costly CTE facilities.
Student demand for information about these fields has grown as the work has become more technologically advanced, according to Edmentum President and CEO Jamie Candee, whose company counts 6 million students as customers worldwide. The news release cites a 2024 survey of 1,000 people ages 16 to 26, conducted by the home-services technology company Thumbtack, in which 55 percent said they were considering a career in a skilled trade.
“As technology rapidly reshapes the skilled trades, we've seen an explosion in interest — among both educators and students — in these fields,” Candee said in a public statement. “But providing meaningful exposure and hands-on learning in HVAC, electrical, plumbing and other high-demand trades often requires a significant investment in equipment and specialized staff that is out of reach for many schools."
