UK Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon visited USP College’s XTEND Digital Campus on Canvey Island on Thursday 15 December along with Rebecca Harris, MP for Castle Point.
USP College’s XTEND Digital Campus opened its doors in 2021 and is a specialist digital campus focusing on augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and immersive education.
The group was given a tour of the technologies present in the XTEND Digital Campus, which included a demonstration of the Immersive Room facility which the college utilises. The Minister and MP were also given the chance to meet with some of USP College’s Supported Internship students who study at the campus. The Immersive technology also allowed them to meet some A-Levels students at the College’s Seevic Campus.
The tour also included a visit to the motion capture studio and the volumetric studio. Here MP Harris and Minister Halfon had a 3D photo taken with students demonstrating how the technology works. Minister Halfon was enthused that he could be turned into a Star Wars character, which the students are now creating to send over to him.
MP Harris commented, saying: “USP are doing ground work equipping local students with skills in high-earning high-tech industries and using cutting edge teaching technologies to do it. It was fantastic to welcome the Minister to the XTEND campus on Canvey to see this teaching in action. I urge residents of any age who want to learn new skills, or businesses that want to upskill their workforce to get in touch with USP and explore the courses and amazing facilities on offer on our doorstep.”
Dan Pearson, USP College CEO and Principal said: “Some of the technologies utilised at our XTEND Digital Campus are a first to the UK and relatively new in the education space. The future of education is going to be led by how we utilise technologies like these, and it was a pleasure to have the Minister and our local MP here to see some of this for themselves. We hope visits like this can open more dialogue at the top levels of government on how to better support FE College like ours.”
Some of the technologies utilised at our XTEND Digital Campus are a first to the UK and relatively new in the education space. The future of education is going to be led by how we utilise technologies like these, and it was a pleasure to have the Minister and our local MP here to see some of this for themselves. We hope visits like this can open more dialogue at the top levels of government on how to better support FE College like ours.
