Department of Education’s Snapchat Careers Fair is a class act

The dominance of social media for the plugged-in generation is constantly evolving, and parents of soon-to-be school leavers can urge them to avoid channels in the run up to exams entirely. Turning this notion on its head, the Department of Education (DfE) has launched England’s first augmented reality careers fair, created with multimedia instant messaging giant, Snapchat.

Supporting the Government’s ‘Get the Jump’ campaign, the AR careers fair on Snapchat aims to help young people understand the education and training opportunities available to them in a native environment. It marks the first time all 16-plus options, including T Levels and apprenticeships, are showcased under one initiative.

An immersive and highly relaxed and conversational approach was key, and the campaign has been tailored to sit comfortably across Snapchat’s tried-and-tested user interface.

How the campaign works:

• To visit the AR careers fair, users were able to open the Snapchat camera and choose the ‘Get the Jump’ Skills for Life icon in the Discover tab carousel, alternatively scanning the Snapcode to begin the experience.
• Once in, users could enter the AR careers fair and watch video content from young people who had first-hand experience utilising the education and training opportunities available.
• Users then had the option to tap to be taken to the campaign website where more information was housed on the opportunities available to them and how they could apply.

Rebecca Thould, head of campaigns for young people and adult skills at the Department for Education, said: “We know that Snapchat reaches 90% of 13–24-year-olds in the UK, so partnering with Snap was an obvious choice for the DfE. This campaign has enabled us to create a new and immersive way for young people to understand and engage with the education and training choices they have, in an environment native to them.”

An innovative campaign like this will shed light on many of the overlooked opportunities available to teens, and the success of ‘Get the Jump’s’ Snapchat venture can so easily be measured through the interaction and engagement on the platform’s Discover tab, where the content is hosted.