A new Minecraft world to help young learners explore their futures careers has been launched by Careers Wales.

Called CareersCraft, the resource is now available for anyone with a games console, tablet or laptop to download and has had over one million downloads through Minecraft Marketplace so far.

The new world, targeted at schoolchildren aged 8-13 in Wales, features six zones based upon different Welsh landmarks including the Senedd, Big Pit, Caernarfon Castle and the Coal Exchange.

Each zone is linked to areas of learning within the new Welsh curriculum and the resource is also available to all children in schools across the country through Minecraft Education Edition, accompanied by lesson plans for teachers.

Players can explore the world and complete a series of challenges and activities as they go. They can learn about different careers in a variety of sectors and industries in Wales, develop their skills, and discover more about their own strengths and interests.

Careers Wales hosted a Wales-wide roadshow over three days, featuring big screens and live demos.

Last week mobile screen vans hosted live demos with three special educational needs schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Events were also held with pupils at Tenby Harbour, Caernarfon Castle, the Wales Millennium Centre and Big Pit.

Maggie Wools, a pupil at Risca Comprehensive School, said: “It was a fun experience and great to discover and explore different careers through Minecraft. I think as pupils we would really benefit from using this in the classroom and sharing it with others in the school.”

A second pupil, Ferne Denmead, commented: “It made me think about my future, but in a fun way.”

Coran Jones, a teacher from Risca Comprehensive School, said: “It’s a brilliant build full of interactive activities for the pupils that will definitely help them in the future. I’m looking forward to using the resource and bringing it into the classroom to share with my form class.”

Gareth Phillips, head of digital and communications at Careers Wales, said: “It’s been great to see young people exploring the world, developing their creative thinking and problem-solving skills while learning about Welsh heritage and culture and thinking about their future careers.

“We’re looking forward to expanding and developing our CareersCraft world, working with partners to add more content and further increasing awareness of the benefits that digital careers education can bring to young learners across Wales.”