Thursday 17 November
5:30pm – 10:30pm
In-person

Ufi VocTech Showcase 2022

The highlight of #WeekofVocTech. Come together to celebrate, explore and be inspired by vocational technology.

After a two years’ absence the Ufi VocTech Showcase returns as the highlight of the Week of VocTech 2022.

Bringing together tech innovators, learning providers, employers and investors the Ufi VocTech Showcase provides a unique opportunity to celebrate and share the impact of vocational technology, get hands-on with a selection of Ufi-supported tech (see below), and strengthen connections across the voctech community.

The Ufi VocTech Showcase 2022 will take place within the stunning vaults of RSA House.
Refreshments will be served.

Highlights from the 2019 Showcase event

Live demonstrations

The Showcase 2022 returns with an inspiring collection of vocational technology to explore.
Meet the teams behind the tech and try it out for yourself. Demonstrations on the night will include…

Autolive

“On-the-job” immersive training for people working in manufacturing.

The manufacturing environment is rapidly changing. Customers are demanding innovative, high-quality products with short lead times, while manufacturers struggle with a lack of standardised training, difficulties in delivering across multiple sites and agency staff churn.

The Autolive Training Tool, developed in partnership between North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) and Coventry University Enterprises Interactive (CUEi), is specifically designed for the automotive manufacturing sector, such as companies within the JLR supply chain.

Autolive Training Tool is a plug-and-play solution with pre-programmed training content loaded into a VR headset. Content focuses on both manufacturing and digital competencies such as working on the production line, quality control and health & safety, and is designed to support learning on the lean manufacturing operative apprenticeship. The VR solution is fast to deliver, achieves significant knowledge retention and is loved by younger staff which the sector is looking to attract.

www.nwslc.ac.uk/autolive-training-tool

Autonome

Supporting people with learning disabilities into work and at work.

AutonoMe supports people with learning disabilities and or autism to find meaningful employment and master their role – whether that’s as an accountant, a cleaner or a customer service representative.

AutonoMe is a skills development programme that combines Assistive Technology with human support. Our App provides nearly 200 instructional videos designed to support people to live more independently and access employment through content such as “how to write a CV”, “what to expect in an interview” and “working in a team”. Unlike a traditional job coach who shadows the employee which is highly visible and can feel intrusive; we provide discreet support and self-directed autonomous learning as and when needed.

Our trial delivered 50% better outcomes in less time and at a lower cost than national supported employment programmes. In addition to better employment outcomes, learners reported better mental and physical health after working with AutonoMe.

www.autono.me.uk

Bodyswaps

Immersive soft skills training using VR and mobile devices.

Many sectors are going through significant transformation through automation and digital innovation, not least those which have traditionally been labour intensive such as retail or transport. In this new realm, companies increasingly depend on employees’ soft skills to add operational value. As a result, rapidly developing the soft skills of the workforces is critical.

Bodyswaps is developing a Virtual Reality (VR) learning platform and content library to provide soft skills training similar in performance to expert coaching and role-playing.

With companies increasingly dependent on employees’ soft skills to add operational value, the bodyswaps platform empowers learners to safely practice their skills and measure their progress through a library of VR role-play simulations.

www.bodyswaps.co

Citizen Literacy app

The free to use web app helping adult learners with reading and writing.

Improving adult literacy has been a challenge for many years. Citizen Literacy, the first UK phonics-based adult literacy course, initially developed by City of Glasgow College, is changing lives for adult learners.

Designed specifically for adults, the free web app can be used to support the delivery of face-to-face Adult Literacy, ESOL Literacy and Basic Skills courses, or can be used in standalone mode to allow learners to develop at their own pace, overcoming the considerable social stigma that can be attached to low literacy levels.

Accessed tens of thousands of times each month, the web app is now complemented by paper books for learners and their tutors, as well as well as an online Tutor Hub which offers all the resources digitally as well as many other added tools to enhance a Tutor’s opportunity to reach these once marginalised and digitally poor learners.

www.citizenliteracy.com

Game Academy

Analysing gameplay to help gamers identify their motivations, skills and get jobs they love.

Take a look at the future of work, forecast by the likes of the World Economic Forum and McKinsey. Many of the remote, data-rich, digital skills in demand are present in playing video games – they’re an extraordinary harbour of hidden talent.

Game Academy is an online personal development service that helps players of video games identify the skills of their game play and make the most of that in-game talent out of game.

Powered by cutting-edge science, our assessment tools and online experiences draw upon unique data from over 50,000 players, scores high for personal growth and has brought many players to new employment and educational opportunities.

The vision of Game Academy is for the UK’s 30m+ players of video games to benefit personally from the power of their game play and bring vital new talent to the growth and productivity of our economy.

www.gameacademy.co

NextGen SkillsXchange

Building real-world skills for the games, animation and visual effects sectors.

The games, animation and visual effects sector is booming and working at its creative heart is an attractive career. But there are some complex challenges for those learning the ropes that NextGen SkillsXchange is helping overcome.

SkillsXchange is a virtual pop-up creative studio hosting animation, VFX and games development projects, that allows colleges and universities to provide students with real life studio experience, whilst working as part of a team. It also allows employers to audition talent and test their team working skills. Unlike other bootcamps or generic software, SkillsXchange is tailored to the digital creative industries. We are not restricted by geographic location of participants.

NextGen SkillsXchange addresses the shortage of job-ready applicants for creative roles by providing an environment to develop team working and communication skills. Ensuring work experience and selection of talent is available regardless of physical location.

www.nextgenskillsacademy.com

Home Achievement Academy

Supporting social housing tenants to learn and progress towards work.

Social housing tenants are often far removed from the labour market, benefit dependent and unable to progress towards learning and employment. Many of these tenants find accessing standard learning provision difficult or virtually impossible, and may also be reluctant to attend traditional settings due to barriers such as confidence and health.

The Home Achievement Academy from Aim Group is addressing this challenge by creating an online blended learning platform where social housing tenants can access learning directly from home.

Created with the specific needs of social housing tenants in mind, the platform is easy to use, works offline and helps develop confidence and the desire to learn and progress towards work.

www.aim-group.org.uk

FlashAcademy

Boosting opportunities and changing lives with a digital ESOL learning platform.

The UK needs to radically improve access to high-quality essential skills training as it seeks to rebuild the labour market after COVID-19. There are 9m workers in the UK with low literacy, limiting their access to work now, and to further training for the jobs of the future. Vocational Technology can help to bridge some of those gaps.

Learning Labs’ mission is to make language accessible to everyone. Learning Labs’ FlashAcademy® uses a proven combination of lessons, games, flashcards, tutor videos, and object translation to support people in becoming more confident in using English where it is not their first language.

FlashAcademy® Workplace was developed with Ufi’s grant funding to accelerate learning of technical and non-technical vocabulary in the workplace. For employers, workplace learning helps ensure quality delivery through training and understanding of compliance matters such as health and safety.

www.flashacademy.com

Marco

Rewarding and motivating learners to improve their spelling and grammar.

A significant proportion of post-16 learners arrive at college with a low level of literacy and after what may have been difficult experiences at school, often lack the motivation to improve. Aimed at learners who’s literacy skills are holding them back, Marco is a learning platform that gamifies the development of basic literacy skills.

Users upload their written work to Marco, which checks it for spelling errors, awards the user points for accuracy, and then uses this data to create simple activities (such as anagrams or Wordle-style games) that provide easy opportunities for the user to practice and improve their spelling.

Unlike other spell checkers, Marco motivates users by rewarding improvement. By incorporating the user’s own mistakes into games, Marco becomes personalised and targeted at each user’s particular needs, making it fun and engaging to learn.

www.marcowritingapp.co.uk

Sempai

A digital lean toolkit transforming the capability of shopfloor leaders to run better factories.

UK Manufacturing isn’t improving quickly enough to compete globally. The UK’s Team Leaders are hidden in industry and are neglected skillswise, yet they drive a big part of the solution to the UK’s productivity problem. These people, the engine room of our factories, are unsung heroes facing a daily storm of problems, many of which they struggle to solve due to a knowledge gap.

Sempai’s vision is to transfer true lean capability to the hidden heroes in manufacturing to help them make the right things better. Their solution is a digital learning tool to upskill Team Leaders in lean manufacturing. The platform is affordable, engaging, accessible and can be used in real-time on the shop-floor.

Manufacturing businesses are already benefiting from the tangible improvements that their Team Leaders make from using the platform, whilst growing more capable leaders able to progress into bigger roles – and helping to solve UK Manufacturing’s productivity problem.

www.sempai.co.uk

SiteIT

Construction site health & safety training and assessment for learners in the prison system.

Many people in prison have complex vocational learning challenges including poor essential skills, and a lack of qualifications and work experience. Construction is a popular sector of choice for employment upon release.

SITE IT is an immersive learning application delivered through Virtual Reality that offers learners in prisons the opportunity to gain experience and a qualification. It takes learners onto a virtual construction site to build vocational skills though assessed tasks including working at heights, manual handling and identifying hazards: all compatible with a Level 1 qualifications in Health & Safety in a construction environment. The application is delivered through ‘standalone’ headsets suitable for use in prisons.

Virtual Reality has a proven track record of increasing learners’ engagement, confidence and motivation and we know it supports higher retention of learning than traditional classroom approaches.

www.niacro.co.uk

Springpod

Virtual work experiences helping people gain skills and meet employers.

Even those young people in the UK who can demonstrate high levels of education and qualifications are often seen by employers to lack the necessary experience of work. Workplaces are crying out for stronger candidates with relevant skills and are looking to engage with young talent at an earlier stage than ever before.

Springpod empowers young people (13-24) to prepare for and secure their next step through their all-in-one platform; connecting students with employers, apprenticeships, Further Education and Higher Education earlier than ever before.

Young people use Springpod to join virtual events, get advice from employer ambassadors and complete meaningful virtual work experience or university subject spotlights ahead of applying for their next steps, whether in employment or education.

www.springpod.com

TechAssure

Digital assessment for the next generation of pest control experts.

The UK pest control industry comprises over 1,500 sole operators/micro businesses. To be considered a pest professional, technicians must pass a knowledge-based assessment, but a written assessment on its own is not always proof of competence. In fact, it’s possible to pass the test without ever seeing rodent or insect pests in an authentic setting.

TechAssure, developed by the British Pest Control Association, is helping overcome this problem by enabling pest technicians to show they can put their knowledge and skills into practice.

As well as supporting individual learners to develop confidence and demonstrate their skills, the platform also helps employers to direct training resources to where they are needed most, reassuring clients that the professionalism of their pest control contractors is demonstrable at all levels.

www.bpca.org.uk