WASHINGTON, DC – The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (UCPCOG) based in Wilson North Carolina has received a 2019 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the Regional Simulation Partnership. The Regional Simulation Partnership (RSP) involves organizations who are willing to work together to develop a “Game Based Career Pathway” (GBCP) approach to […]
WASHINGTON, DC – The Upper Coastal Plain Council of
Governments (UCPCOG) based in Wilson North Carolina has received a 2019 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for
the Regional Simulation Partnership.
The Regional Simulation
Partnership (RSP) involves organizations who are willing to work together to
develop a “Game Based Career Pathway” (GBCP) approach to workforce
development. The RSP is working with
economic development, education, game development, governmental, philanthropic,
and workforce development organizations to develop game based career pathways
that match up with nearby industries.
“A lot of data available
strongly suggests that a majority of youth today routinely play video games. There
is a great opportunity to incorporate game simulations into existing career
exploration efforts, and make them more relevant to the younger generation. The game simulations provide a cost effective
way to provide virtual work experience for youth, and give them a bird’s eye
view of some of the tasks that may be involved if they worked in one of the
industries”, said Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments Executive Director
Robert Hiett.
The UCPCOG and the Turning
Point Workforce Development Board (TPWDB) created the NC Simulation Station
(NCSS) to serve as an online resource for developing a game based career
pathway approach. The website for the NC
Simulation Station is located at www.ncsimulationstation.com .
“We hope that more
organizations will join our effort, and share their experiences with us. The NC Simulation Station can become more
comprehensive, and align additional simulations to industries who are trying to
get youth excited about coming to work for them”, said Hiett.
The
active supporting partners include the Carolinas Gateway Partnership,
foundry10, Giants Software, the Mid-East Commission and Region Q Workforce
Development Board, Northampton County Schools, the Turning Point Workforce
Development Board, and Wilson Gig East. Foundry10
is located in Seattle, and Giants Software is located in Switzerland, and the
rest of the partners are located in North Carolina. The partnership is coordinated by the Upper
Coastal Plain Council of Governments.
NADO
is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development
organizations that promote programs and policies that strengthen local
governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program
delivery, and comprehensive strategies.
The association’s Impact Awards program recognizes regional development
organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community
competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities.
Award-winning
projects were honored during NADO’s 2019 Annual Training Conference, held October
19-22 in Reno, NV. The 2019 class of
award recipients consists of 100 projects from 66 organizations spanning 24
states. These projects are presented in
an interactive “Story Map” developed by NADO and CivicLens that includes
project summaries and partners. The
Story Map is available online at: https://www.nado.org/impactawards/.
“The
Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Awards program is an opportunity each year for NADO to
publicly recognize the important services that regional development
organizations deliver to their local communities,” said 2018-2019 NADO
President Scott Koons, executive director of the North Central Florida Regional
Planning Council, located in Gainesville.
“The projects awarded have made significant impacts on their regions and
demonstrate the diversity of programs and resources provided by regional
development organizations across the country.”
The NADO Impact Awards are presented in honor
of the late Aliceann Wohlbruck who was NADO’s first executive director and served
24 years as a tireless champion for regional approaches to economic development
in rural communities.
For more information about this award-winning project, contact Robert Hiett, Executive Director, Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments. Mr. Hiett can be reached by email at rhiett@ucpcog.org, or by phone at 252-534-5952.