Chief Secretary opens “cutting edge” Virtual Reality training suite at Stoke on Trent College

YESTERDAY [Thursday 12^th May], Simon Clarke, MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, opened the new Virtual Reality & Visualisation Suite at Stoke on Trent College.

The cutting-edge suite offers students training in the latest specialist 3D and 4D mapping, game development technology and virtual drone mapping.

Backed with £120,000 from the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), over 1,000 local people will benefit from the new training facility, gaining vital, industry-standard qualifications.

The government is going further to boost skills in Stoke through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which has allocated over £11 million to support local businesses and help people get the skills they need. Over 3,600 people have also been supported to gain a qualification in Stoke through the Skills and Equipment Fund

Mr Clarke spoke with students at the site who were showcasing their work and praised their innovation and expertise.

Simon Clarke, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said:

“This cutting-edge virtual reality suite will give the people of Stoke exactly the opportunities they need to lead the way in the digital revolution.

“We’re backing the people of Stoke to get the qualifications they need to get ahead. Giving people the opportunity to get the skills they need, where they live, is a vital part of how we level up this country and it’s great to see this happening in Stoke.”

Alun Rogers, Chair of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP, said:

“The project poses massive potential to attract businesses, boost skills and grow existing talent across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, and will help our area to lead thinking and delivery across the construction sector for years to come – a great opportunity for our region.”

Lisa Capper MBE, Principal and CEO of Stoke on Trent College, said:

“This is such an exciting development for our prospective students both young people and adults. These new facilities mean they will be bang up to date on digital technologies in industries such as Construction.

“This will make them an asset to any business. In turn, this will strengthen our local economy and help put Stoke-on-Trent on the map for digital excellence, working alongside our industry partners.”

Stoke on Trent College is currently training 617 apprentices on their two Stoke-on-Trent campuses including a state-of-the-art Construction and Technology Hub at the Burslem campus, and with local employers and 8,000 local people get qualifications every year through the college.