VR worlds and a humanoid robot have arrived at Nottingham College! #FutureOfEducation

Thousands of young people across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will now able to explore virtual reality worlds, get stuck in with robotics, and experiment with 3D printing, thanks to a new science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) Centre at Nottingham College.

The new resource aims to raise aspirations around further and higher education and careers in STEM, but also to show how these skills can be a lot of fun and benefit us all.

The STEM Centre is located at Nottingham College Highfields campus in Nottingham Science Park, home to the College’s Engineering department.

The state-of-the-art facility has been made a reality thanks to the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Collaborative Outreach Programme (DANCOP). DANCOP is a partnership of universities and colleges working together to raise the aspirations of young people and support them to consider their futures, as part of a national government initiative to increase the number of young people from underrepresented groups who go into higher education.

The DANCOP Nottingham College STEM Centre launched on 18 January, and is now available for school groups to book sessions for their pupils, and students from across different areas of Nottingham College will also have chance to find out how STEM skills can benefit us all.

Workshops at the STEM Centre will be delivered by industry experts and STEM ambassadors, using innovative technology. Hands-on science experiments and electronics activities are also available.

Zanna Mitchell, DANCOP Project Lead at Nottingham College, said:

“It’s our mission to give more young people access to resources and knowledge to help raise their aspirations, so they can choose the future path that allows them to reach their full potential. The STEM Centre is helping us to do just that and to reach more young people across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.”