What the Project is
Bridgwater & Taunton College received a grant of £100,000 in the 2018/19 Edge Grant Fund for their development of PRACTICE. As the southern hub of the National College for Nuclear, Bridgwater and Taunton College is heavily involved with the skills and employability needs relating to the nuclear industry in general and the development of Hinckley Point C in particular.
The College used the grant funding to support the creation of a practical learning centre for teaching thermodynamics, instrumentation and electrics relevant to working in a nuclear power plant. The centre contains a physical flow rig – as found in a nuclear reactor – but importantly the project also developed a serious of Virtual Reality (VR) simulations to enable students to safely experience working conditions and situations within a nuclear site.
This project has developed the use of VR to support a range of students including Level 3 Maintenance Technician apprentices, Level 3 engineers and Level 6 Nuclear Engineer degree apprentices in their studies and to provide alternate and innovative assessment methods. The use of VR enables students to link the theory and practice in a safe environment – highly desirable for the nuclear and other high risk industry sectors. The facilities are also used for school engagement activities and for upskilling and CPD for local employers.
Quotes
Student"I didn’t know lessons at college might be like this"
Student"It’s more realistic than I thought it might be"
Find out more
To find out more about this project visit Bridgwater & Taunton College’s website or contact Paul Goss on gossp@btc.ac.uk