WorkReady
Overview
Section titled “Overview”WorkReady is a semester-long internship simulation. Students apply for a role at one of six fictional Western Australian organisations, complete a structured hiring process, and — if successful — spend the semester completing authentic workplace tasks inside a simulated work environment.
Unlike single-scenario chatbots, WorkReady is a full arc: from reading a job ad to submitting a final reflection. The portal, the companies, and the AI colleagues all change depending on where the student lands.
Live at: workready.eduserver.au
The Simulation
Section titled “The Simulation”Students move through four states. Each transition is triggered by what they actually do, not by a timer.
| State | Trigger | What’s visible |
|---|---|---|
NOT_APPLIED | Starting point | Ink primer + job board |
APPLIED | Resume submitted | Personal inbox, application history |
HIRED | Resume assessed and passed | Company-themed workspace, tasks, work inbox, intranet, AI colleagues |
COMPLETED | All six stages finished | Final reflection + replay option |
The Ink primer is an interactive fiction piece that teaches students how the simulation works before they encounter any assessment task. Students who skip the primer tend to struggle; students who read it do not.
The Six Companies
Section titled “The Six Companies”Each company has a distinct identity, aesthetic, and internship experience. Students apply to one and spend the semester there.
| Company | Tagline | Industry |
|---|---|---|
| Horizon Foundation | Strengthening Communities Across Western Australia | Not-for-profit / Community services |
| IronVale Resources | Building Western Australia’s Future Underground | Mining & resources |
| Meridian Advisory | Clarity in Complexity | Management consulting |
| Metro Council WA | Serving Our Community, Shaping Our Future | Local government |
| NexusPoint Systems | Connecting Business to What’s Next | Technology & IT services |
| Southern Cross Financial | Your Wealth, Our Commitment | Financial services |
Each company site has AI colleagues with unique roles and personalities. Information is distributed across people — students have to talk to the right people and ask the right questions.
Architecture
Section titled “Architecture”WorkReady is built from five components that work together.
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Portal | The student workstation. Single-page app that transforms as the student progresses. Pre-hire: primer and job board. Post-hire: company-themed workspace with tasks, work inbox, team, and intranet. |
| Job Board | A Seek-style listing site. Students discover roles, read position descriptions, and apply from here or directly via the portal. |
| Ink Primer | Interactive fiction that onboards students to the simulation. Written in Ink (Inkle Studios). Covers how the portal works and what to expect in each stage. |
| API | Backend tracking student progress across six stages. Handles resume submission and LLM-based assessment. Exposes a REST API — Swagger docs at /docs. |
| Company Sites | Six static sites, one per company. Each has site.yaml configuration defining the company identity, AI employees, and role-specific knowledge. |
Use Cases
Section titled “Use Cases”Professional Communication
Section titled “Professional Communication”Students draft cover letters, respond to workplace emails, write status reports, and prepare deliverables — all in a context that mimics a real internship. The AI colleagues they interact with respond the way a real workplace contact would: sometimes clearly, sometimes not.
Employability Skills
Section titled “Employability Skills”The structured hiring arc (application → interview → onboarding → tasks) exposes students to workplace norms before they encounter them for real. Students who struggle with professional tone or task prioritisation discover this in a low-stakes environment.
AI Literacy
Section titled “AI Literacy”WorkReady runs on Ollama — all AI characters run locally with no cloud dependency. Students interact with AI colleagues without knowing which responses are AI-generated. Post-simulation reflection can include discussion of where AI was plausible, where it fell short, and what that means for AI-assisted work.
Research
Section titled “Research”The simulation generates structured interaction data: application outcomes, stage completion rates, AI conversation logs, and reflection submissions. This dataset is available for research on professional skill development and AI interaction patterns.
Technology
Section titled “Technology”- Portal and company sites — static HTML/JS, deployed on GitHub Pages or a local server
- Ink primer — compiled to JavaScript via Inkle’s Ink runtime
- API — FastAPI (Python), runs locally via Ollama for resume assessment; stub mode available without LLM
- AI colleagues — Ollama-served models with character-specific system prompts and conversation memory
- Local inference — no student data sent to external APIs
Getting Started
Section titled “Getting Started”Visit workready.eduserver.au and begin the Ink primer. Your educator will provide your application instructions and any company-specific briefing materials.
Educators: see the For Educators page for deployment and configuration guidance.