In this episode of the XR Industry Leaders Podcast, hosts Brad Scoggin and Will Stackable talk with Michelle Rebaleati, Multimedia Technologist and Career Navigator with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).

Michelle shares how GOED turned the tourism slowdown of 2020 into a statewide innovation success story with the launch of Project SANDI, a VR-driven workforce initiative that helps residents move from unemployment or underemployment to sustainable careers. What started as a recovery grant has evolved into a network of 1,000 VR devices across 80+ locations, giving Nevadans immersive access to in-demand careers in healthcare, skilled trades, IT, and advanced manufacturing.

From high school students in tiny desert towns to unhoused adults in workforce centers, GOED’s program uses VR to let people “test drive” real careers by putting them in the shoes of an employee in life-like scenarios. Michelle discusses what it takes to deploy VR across one of the largest and most rural states in the U.S. as only a team of three, and how ArborXR makes it possible to manage and update every device remotely.

She also shares measurable impact: participants have achieved a 100% pass rate on the National Career Readiness Certificate exam, proving VR isn’t just inspiring, it’s driving real change for Nevadans.

Timestamps:

The economic crisis that sparked Nevada’s statewide VR workforce initiative (00:41)
Project SANDI and the push to explore STEM and skilled-trade careers in VR (01:40)
Reimagining “career day” with immersive field trips and simulations (03:56)
Expanding VR career exploration from colleges to libraries across rural Nevada (05:21)
Addressing low labor market literacy with the Individual Career Map (06:44)
How Michelle’s three-person team deployed 1,000 headsets across a vast rural state (09:58)
Making statewide VR possible with ArborXR’s remote device management (19:08)
Achieving a 100% pass rate on the ACT WorkKeys career readiness exam (27:53)

About Michelle Rebaleati:

Michelle Rebaleati is a Multimedia Technologist and Career Navigator with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED). She leads statewide initiatives using VR for workforce development, managing over 1,000 devices across 80+ locations to help Nevadans explore, train for, and launch new careers in high-demand industries.

About ArborXR:

ArborXR helps organizations confidently manage VR & AR devices at scale, remotely install content, and control what users can see and do in the headset. Our mission is to help people live more meaningful lives through the power of XR. Learn more at https://arborxr.com.

Links & Resources: