Calderdale College: Halifax students help develop pioneering virtual reality prototypes

The Digital students have been working with a specialist tech company in a bid to improve staff recruitment and retention in the social care sector by changing the way learning is assessed.

Funded by the NCFE Assessment Innovation Fund, the ground-breaking pilot is part of a project to design and test the use of immersive technologies as an assessment tool in further education.

Representatives from NHS England, University of Huddersfield, University of Leeds and Huddersfield and the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust have visited the college to test the prototype which demonstrates real-life situations and practices found in social care environments.

The VR scenario will include one of the 12 Care Certificate Standards needed in health and social care, which is currently only delivered by employers when a support worker enters the industry.

The project is exploring how giving colleges the chance to train students in the Care Certificate Standard could improve staff recruitment and retention in the sector, and ease the strain on employers.

Due to health and safety and other constraints, students are currently restricted from undertaking tasks in a care home setting.

By exposing them to real world situations during their course through VR, they will be more confident in their decision to enter the sector before leaving college, improving their chances of staying in the industry.

The prototypes will be developed into a final product and used by the College’s Health T-Level students, helping them gain the skills and experience before they leave for employment.

Karl Veltman, Deputy Principal at Calderdale College, said: “This has been a fantastic project - the first of its kind in further education – developing virtual reality as an assessment tool within the social care sector and within our social care curriculum.

“Working with our key strategic partners has allowed our staff and students to innovate and develop new skills.

"We’re delighted to be one of the first providers to use virtual reality in teaching and learning for assessment purposes.”

To find out more about the project, visit the college’s website .