VR headsets to provide immersive National Apprenticeship Week experience

Published by

Nicky Godding

VR headsets will be used to help young people immerse themselves into a range of the exciting careers as part of National Apprenticeship Week next week.

Leading college group WCG, which includes colleges in Warwickshire and Worcestershire, is travelling around 10 schools across Coventry, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and North Oxfordshire as part of its WCG Skills Roadshow to highlight the benefits of apprenticeships.

The theme for National Apprenticeship Week is ‘Skills for Life’, and the college group will be visiting the schools between February 5 and 9 to host a wide range of activities, talks and demonstrations in inflatable gazebos.

The WCG team will be showcasing apprenticeships in subject areas including animal and equine, engineering, construction, motor vehicle and land-based engineering, and horticulture and arboriculture.

The college group will also be raising awareness of T Levels for the very first time as part of the week.

New for 2024, students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves into a number of activities using VR (Virtual Reality) headsets – technology that is used within the classroom to teach competency without any of the potential real-life dangers.

These include taking patient observations in a hospital setting, installing an EV charging point and taking on the role of a commis chef in a restaurant.

The college group is the largest college provider of apprenticeship training in the region, with up to 2,000 apprentices trained every year and working with over 1,100 local, regional and national employers.

Mark Whittaker, from WCG, said: “Our National Apprenticeship Week activities are always hugely popular, and we look forward to visiting schools right across the area during this year’s event.

“This year, we will not only be chatting to students about our fantastic range of apprenticeships, but also showcasing T Levels for the very first time.

“Like apprenticeships, T Levels are another route into skilled employment, and include a 45-day placement where students can gain essential first-hand industry experience.

“An exciting addition to this year’s event will be the use of VR headsets which will provide students with an immersive learning experience

“Apprenticeships continue to be at the heart of government policy and we are working with employers across both Warwickshire and Worcestershire as part of the government’s Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) to fill skills gaps across the region. We will be highlighting the fantastic benefits of both apprenticeships and T Levels as part of our tour.”

The WCG Skills Roadshow will be visiting Campion School, in Leamington, and North Oxfordshire Academy, in Banbury, on Monday, before heading to The Avon Valley School and Harris Church of England Academy, in Rugby, on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the tour will visit Finham Park School and Caludon Castle School, in Coventry, while on Thursday it will be at Pershore High School and Droitwich High School, before finishing off the week at Studley High School and Ridgeway Secondary School, in Redditch, on Friday.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.