VocTech Activate grant fund

Overview

Purpose of the fund

VocTech Activate is their test bed where the first spark of an idea which could solve a vocational learning problem can be scoped and tested in the supportive environment that Ufi funding provides. They grant fund 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.

Ufi believes that vocational technology has the power to transform lives and build a better future where everyone is included, skilled and empowered. Yet much of this potential remains untapped, especially for those in sectors or locations furthest from opportunity. VocTech Activate supports their ambition to demonstrate the art of the practically possible, to support innovators and innovation, to inspire action and to grow impact and evidence.

How much funding is available?

VocTech Activate provides grants of £30,000 to £60,000 for projects lasting between 3 to 12 months.

The funding offered for any individual project depends on the problem being addressed, and the nature and scale of the proposed solution. Each is considered on its merits and the costs assessed against the proposed work plan and timetable.

What are they looking for?

They want to see innovative digital vocational learning ideas which are:

• Genuinely innovative in their overall approach, their technology, or the sector or community of learners to which they will be applied.
• Clear in their understanding of and access to a defined learner group/test group of users, with a clear evidenced understanding of their challenges.
• Projects that are aware of their learners/users’ barriers to learning, and any barriers to adoption of technology-based approaches.
• Tackling specific vocational skills gaps, with good connections to sectors, employers and potential employment.
• Ideas where people are really thinking differently about how to use technology to deliver effective vocational learning at scale.
• Projects that look at any and every aspect of vocational learning, including (but not limited to) deployment, design and development of learning tools, new delivery models, evaluation and assessment, accreditation and recording evidence of achievement.
• Projects targeted at extending learning provision to sectors, industries and communities of learners that currently lack good access to vocational learning due to factors including market/sectoral structures, cost, time, distance or language.

Insights from stakeholders suggest the following are in need for innovation in adult vocational skills and opportunity for scale. Issues, for example, include:

• Innovation in assessment, enabling learners to access feedback and content tailored to them, when they need it.
• Innovative use of data, including AI and big data to improve outcomes for learners.
• Making it easier and cheaper for trainers and teachers to develop their own high quality, interactive e-learning content for vocational learners.
• Working with relevant employers and learning organisations to create new ways for people to validate their skills and create pathways to work, or to allow people in work to transition to new opportunities.

Eligible costs

VocTech Activate will grant fund the design, development and early stage testing and adoption of new approaches to digital vocational learning; helping to take those ideas through basic prototyping to the next stage of 'seeding the market' by delivering a first proof of concept prototype and planning a route to market. This could include:

• Design, development, and prototyping with learners.
• Refining learning design.
• Testing with users.
• Planning a route from MVP to a sustainable, scalable product.
• Planning a route to market & strategies for scaling.
• Project Management.
• Evidencing impact, demonstrating value and what works.

Projects must:

• Focus on adult vocational learning in the UK (be aimed at adults 16+).
• Offer new learning tools, not just new learning content.
• Show real innovation and risk to justify Ufi funding.
• Show a clear understanding of the vocational learning market, have evidence of a defined learning need and describe how they expect the tech will improve outcomes for learners, in addition to the technical advances.
• Show real innovation and risk to achieve a step change beyond normal business development to justify Ufi funding.
• Have a strong evidenced connection to a clearly defined learner group, and a clear understanding of their challenges, barriers to learning and barriers to adoption of technology-based approaches.
• Have plans for testing with relevant learners/trainers/employers and for incorporating feedback from testing into product development.
• Show ambition and vision for how the project could get to market and be eventually scaled up to reach a large number of learners, if the proof of concept proves successful.