Careers Wales launches Bluestone landmark addition to CareersCraft Minecraft world
- New CareersCraft landmark launched on 15 October 2024 at Bluestone resort with local school pupils
- The resource enables pupils to be immersed in a 3D Minecraft version of the Bluestone resort to develop careers knowledge and awareness of the hospitality and tourism sector in Wales
Careers Wales, in partnership with Visit Wales Welsh Government and Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, have launched a new landmark feature based on Bluestone’s 500-acre resort, within the award-winning CareersCraft resource.
CareersCraft is a Minecraft world featuring Welsh landmarks, designed to inspire and motivate school children aged 8 – 13, whilst developing their careers skills and knowledge. Each landmark is linked to an Area of Learning within the Curriculum for Wales, or a particular sector.
Through exploring the landmarks virtually through the platform and taking part in challenges, young people are encouraged to consider their own skills, attributes and interests, and how these can support their career journeys.
Bluestone, which is located near Narberth, is a new addition to the seven landmarks already within the CareersCraft world, all detailed below with the Area of Learning or sector they relate to:
- Bluestone – hospitality and tourism
- Pontcysyllte Aqueduct – engineering
- The Senedd – language, literacy and communications
- Tenby – health and wellbeing
- Cardiff Coal Exchange – maths and numeracy
- Wales Millenium Centre – expressive arts
- Big Pit – science and technology
- Caernarfon Castle – humanities
To celebrate the release of the new landmark, Careers Wales hosted a launch event on Tuesday 15 October at the Bluestone resort with pupils from Templeton Community Primary School.
After an introduction to the new landmark, pupils were invited to complete the Bluestone challenges, including testing the safety of the Sky Walk at the Serendome, sorting the resources in the Well Spa and finding missing swimming floats at the Blue Lagoon.
This was followed by a tailored careers session, providing an opportunity for pupils to gain an insight into the world of hospitality directly from Bluestone staff. The exciting event ended with a personalised tour of Bluestone, letting the pupils explore the resort in-person, and learn more about careers within the industry.
Oliver Furneaux, a teacher at Templeton Primary School, said: “The children have thoroughly enjoyed today, as have I, and I think CareersCraft is an excellent resource. The children liked that the session was so interactive and that they’ve been using Minecraft, which they love anyway. Having potential jobs they can do in the future built into a Minecraft world creates a really interesting and engaging way for the children to learn.
“It’s definitely something I can take back to the school and share with the other teachers and classes, and schools within our local area as well. With Bluestone built into the resource, it is a fantastic way for the children to see how they might stay and work in the area in the future.”
A pupil from Templeton Primary School said: “I’ve loved that you get to go places and it looks the same as in real life. We’ve learnt about jobs that are actually real and it’s really cool how to get to experience them.”
A second pupil said: “I really enjoyed the Skywalk challenge, even though it’s hard, I found it really fun, especially when you get your high score. I’ve learnt not to give up on the challenges. I am definitely going to play it at home.”
Nikki Lawrence, Chief Executive at Careers Wales, said: “It has been a pleasure to work in partnership with our colleagues at Bluestone and Visit Wales and launch the exciting new Bluestone landmark within CareersCraft.
“Bluestone is an iconic holiday resort, and this new landmark enables players to explore the vibrant hospitality industry and discover the opportunities within this sector in Wales.
“It’s fantastic to see local school pupils exploring the new features of CareersCraft, developing their careers knowledge and expanding their horizons, all whilst in the beautiful setting of Bluestone itself.”
“We’re thrilled to be part of CareersCraft, opening the doors of Bluestone to young minds throughout Wales and beyond,” said Helen John, Bluestone Academy Manager.
“This virtual experience showcases the exciting world of hospitality and tourism, inspiring the next generation of employees and industry leaders. It’s a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the diverse career paths available right here in the heart of Pembrokeshire and throughout Wales.”
The Minister for Skills, Jack Sargeant, said: “I want our children and young people to be offered as many opportunities as possible to be inspired and motivated about their future careers. Opportunities like the fantastic one Templeton Primary school pupils have had today – meeting employees at our award-winning Bluestone National Park Resort.
“Thanks to Careers Wales and Bluestone, this new virtual world in the CareersCraft resource will also give pupils across Wales an opportunity to find out about the breadth of valuable career options available in tourism and hospitality.”
CareersCraft is available to all pupils in schools across the country through Minecraft Education Edition, and is accompanied by lesson plans for teachers.
The resource is also available for anyone with a games console, tablet or laptop to download and has had over seven million downloads through Minecraft Marketplace.
In 2021, CareersCraft was nominated in the ‘Use of Technology in Career Development’ category at the CDI’s UK Career Development Awards.
You can find out more about CareersCraft on the Careers Wales website.