NAA Member News: The Virtual Engineering Centre – Supporting the Development of the Future Digital Workforce
The Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) aims to inspire, empower and connect young scientists and engineers in the Liverpool City Region and beyond by stimulating the communication of their ideas, research and opinions – making them ready to answer tomorrow’s toughest challenges and solve complex real-world problems through the application of digital toolsets… Read more
This summer, six new students – undergraduates and postgraduates – were added to the team through bespoke placements at the Virtual Engineering Centre. They are currently working across the VEC’s digital teams and applying their interests and skills on various cross-sector projects. The student associates are learning lots about the world of digital technologies such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to support predictive modelling programming VEC’s new robotics assets, providing insights for clients through improved data analytics and immersive visualisation to support product design. A key part of their time is spent on understanding how the application of these technologies in real-life commercial scenarios can make an impact and drive innovation.
The VEC believes in its expertise and talent and is keen to support and equip the workforce of the future, providing students at all levels the opportunity to develop their skills on research and” real-life” industry challenges. The VEC is committed to developing people with highly developed digital skills for the future – filling the VEC’s own skills gap in this fast-paced, emerging field.
Lynn Dwyer, Head of Commercial for the VEC, said: ‘’It is important for us to give placement experiences to emerging talent, to help mould and develop their digital skills to address the needs of organisations in the future. By delivering training to individuals, businesses, and schools, we hope to equip people with the necessary skills that will enable our workforce to prosper. This placement project has been so successful that we are looking to develop specific programmes around skills with commercial application.’’
