Students at Newcastle College University Centre (NCUC) are a step closer to experiencing international education thanks to progress made in the development of an international metaverse education platform by the team at NCUC.
NCUC has announced that the project, part of the Europe-wide InnoVET initiative, is now in the development and testing stage, and soon, students will be able to participate in international learning without ever leaving their classrooms.
In the metaverse, students will step into immersive virtual classrooms, engaging with peers and instructors from across the globe. This virtual reality (VR) environment aims to break down the financial and geographic barriers that often restrict access to study abroad programmes.
NCUC plans to host participating colleges in March 2025 to present a working concept and start integrating students into the platform, where students will have their own personalised avatars. A funding proposal for approximately £320,000 from the Swiss government is currently under review to support the project’s development.
The InnoVET project brings together five educational institutions from different countries: OSAO Koulutuskuntayhtymä in Finland, IES El Rincon in Spain, ROC Horizon in the Netherlands, GBS St.Gallen in Switzerland, and NCUC in the UK. Through this platform, students will be able to collaborate and learn alongside peers from these institutions in virtual replicas of classrooms and educational facilities, which could include NCUC’s own specialist facilities such as its Aviation Academy.
Paul Smyth, Digital Arts lecturer at NCUC and lead on the UK’s contribution, described the project: “The metaverse isn’t as far off as people think – many students are already familiar with similar environments through platforms like Roblox. With InnoVET, we’re creating the first truly international metaverse classroom, where students can explore, learn, and collaborate globally in real time. The environment will feature content and courses across common vocational fields, increasing awareness of vocational education and training (VET) skills.”
Jon Ridley, Principal of Newcastle College, emphasised the importance of the project in opening up access to global learning: “This innovative project, is a sector-leading partnership that will give students access to the first international metaverse classroom. It is a great example of the collaborative work we do at Newcastle College University Centre which ensures our graduates leave us work-ready, with the skills and the experiences they need to succeed now and in the future.”