Introducing the latest organisations to be offered VocTech Seed grant funding

Organisations using technology to improve adult learning and help people to thrive in work receive a share of £700k in grant funding

We are proud to announce the inspiring cohort of organisations who have been offered a share of over £700k from Ufi’s VocTech Seed grant fund, to support new approaches in using technology to help adults gain and maintain the skills they need for work and throughout their careers.

The cohort of 15 projects help to address current and developing skill challenges faced by industry sectors across the UK, including the predicted shortfall of train drivers, the barriers adults with learning disabilities face in progressing in paid employment, management & leadership experience in the hospitality sector and apprenticeship disengagement. Each project is focused on improving skills acquisition for professions, industries and skill levels that are undervalued or under-supported and where technology can have the biggest potential impact.

Projects offered funding include:

  • An innovative gaming application to help develop the skills of prosthetic/orthotic support workers and allied health students.
  • A scenario-based simulator to prepare trainee train drivers for their mandatory rail signalling and safety principles exam.
  • A VR platform which uses the immersive potential of the technology to provide carers with insight into the experience of people facing mental health problems.
  • Digital training materials and toolkits, based on “Digital Twin” beehives that will provide a learning environment for the development of STEM skills for beekeepers.
  • A voice response technology tool that supports the development of skills amongst business owners, managers and supervisors in the food service sector.

The full list of organisations offered grants in the latest VocTech Seed 2022 cohort can be found at: www.ufi.co.uk/grant-funding/seed22B

Jane Holmes, Head of Grant Programmes at Ufi VocTech Trust, said:

“It has been fantastic to see such a variety of innovative ideas for this round of VocTech Seed funding. Our VocTech Seed grant funding provides a supportive environment that’s accepting of risk to allow organisations to develop and test new digital approaches to learning with a small group of users before they scale.”

VocTech Seed grants are designed to support the development of early-stage concepts and the exploration of new approaches to using technology to enable skills development.

Projects will last for up to 12 months and will each receive enrichment support from Ufi.

Find out more at www.ufi.co.uk/seed