Minister for Investment unveils Digital Skills Bus #Bett2020

@HP #Digital #Skills Bus equipped with two-floors of leading #EdTech, including a #VR immersive experience area to bring tech-driven learning experiences to 25,000 UK students in 2020

HP yesterday (22 Jan) announced the launch of the HP Digital Skills Community Bus, a converted double decker bus kitted out with the latest education technology.

Supported by HP partners Adobe, Microsoft, Google and Intel, the vehicle will tour the UK across 2020 to showcase how technology can help the delivery of STEAM skills – as well as inspiring the next generation to pursue STEAM-related disciplines and careers.

Unveiled on the opening day of this year’s BETT Conference in London, education decision makers are invited to request a visit from the bus, which will be available to a broad range of relevant organisations and groups, from schools to colleges to community hubs.  

“This is a great example of how the tech industry can work innovatively to reach schools and make a real impact on how digital skills are being taught,” commented Neil Sawyer, Channel and Education Director, HP. “The HP Digital Skills Community Bus will bring market leading ed-tech to the people that need it most – showing educators how the latest devices and programs can enhance STEAM learning, while providing an experience for students that is fun, productive and inspirational.”

Technology on the bus will include a Virtual Reality experience area powered by HP’s VR-ready range of Z-PCs and Mixed Reality headsets, as well as HP’s portfolio of education edition PCs, equipped with software such as introductory coding classes.

In addition, the bus will feature an Adobe-powered Design Lab delivering Creative Cloud workshops, building content creation skills such as filming and editing. All bus experiences will be designed with collaboration in mind, including the ability for students to write notes and draw on the windows and walls, to encourage the sharing of ideas. 

Minister for Investment, Graham Stuart MP, said:

“The HP Digital Skills Community Bus shows how leading tech firms can support the Government’s continued drive to enhance the way digital skills are taught – a process which will equip today’s students, and the UK’s workforce of tomorrow, with the education they need to thrive.”

The HP Digital Skills Bus will become the fourth pillar of the HP for Education programme – an industry-first set of initiatives to help institutions get maximum value from their ed-tech investments. Since its inception in 2016, HP for Education has invested over £8 million in schools through a combination of cash-back, credits, resources and competition prizes.

To ensure organisations benefit from a complete education experience, recipients are able to invest their rewards beyond hardware, including a large range of affiliated software providers. HP aims to give another £3 million back to educators via the HP for Education programme in 2020.

To register your interest in the HP Digital Skills Bus, please: click here

HP for Education aims to give schools more ways to access the technology they need to deliver exceptional learning experiences, through a combination of cash, credit and resource prizes. HP for Education consists of the following programmes:

• HP Staff Room – organisations can trade-in their old desktops, laptops and tablets from any vendor, and receive a cash reward of up to £100, or a credit reward of up to £150, from HP. Participants can put rewards towards hardware, software, consultancy, e-learning or buy training courses via third party providers.
• HP for E Specialists – a team of experts available to help advise and assist with a school or college’s overall digital transformation
• HP Community Tech Challenge – Every year the HP Community Tech Challenge, in associated with Microsoft and Intel, awards four schools £25,000 to spend on technology products and services. Schools enter the competition by submitting their reasons for needing the fund and how its pupils will benefit. Entries are judged by a panel of HP, Microsoft and Intel education and technology experts.
• HP Digital Skills Community Bus – delivering a leading ed-tech experience around the UK, reaching over 20k learners in 2020