Ufi announce the latest organisations offered VocTech Activate grant funding

Each project will receive a share of £800k to develop new ideas using technology to transform how people gain skills for work. 

We are proud to reveal the exciting cohort of organisations who have been offered a share of over £800k from Ufi’s VocTech Activate grant fund, to support new ideas using digital tools and approaches to transform how adults gain the skills needed to thrive in work. 

The 14 organisations will develop projects to address current and developing skills challenges faced by a variety of sectors in the UK, including the barriers neurodivergent adults face in gaining manufacturing qualifications, the under-representation of learners from disadvantaged groups in the tech sector, and the lack of trained workers needed to help the UK meet its net zero ambitions. Each project is genuinely innovative in their overall approach, their technology, or the sector or community of learners they aim to support. 

Projects offered funding include:  

• A digital learning solution enabling adults in prison to study energy qualifications and train as Retrofit Assessors, helping to develop a crucial new workforce and improve the employment outcomes of prison leavers.  
• A platform using ChatGPT to teach the basics of coding to learners from disadvantaged groups and helping them to access jobs in the tech sector.  
• A tool using VR to improve access to training for adults in Scotland looking to enter the hydrogen industry. 
• A tool using AI to deliver live translation of course content to help migrants in the UK with low levels of English proficiency succeed in digital and construction courses.  

• A web app to empower front-line health and social care staff to propose actionable solutions to the challenges they encounter in the workplace. 

The full list of organisations offered grants in the latest VocTech Activate 2023 cohort can be found here. 

Mahreen Ferdous, Project and Partnership Manager at Ufi VocTech Trust, said: 

“I’m excited to welcome a new set of projects, ideas and people to the Ufi family with VocTech Activate 2023. There’s never a dull moment being in the window seat for some of the most cutting-edge and practical applications of innovation taking place in gaining skills for work.” 

VocTech Activate grants are designed to support projects that are at a relatively early stage, helping to prototype ideas and work out the next steps necessary on the journey to long-term success. 

Projects will last for up to 12 months and will each receive enrichment support from Ufi.  

Our unique approach as a funder and critical friend to innovators has a lasting impact on the organisations we support. Beyond the benefit of the funding itself, we provide invaluable and flexible enrichment support which can help small teams make a big impact. You can find out more about our approach and the impact of our grant funding in the recent independent evaluation of Ufi’s grant funding. 

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