Fujitsu, Intel, Brocade and Kyocera launch Education Innovation Hub at New College Worcester

New College Worcester is the latest of the new wave of educational institution to join Fujitsu’s Ambassador Programme

A new Education Innovation Hub opened on Friday 15th September at New College Worcester under the Fujitsu Education Ambassador Programme, supported by Intel, Brocade and Kyocera. The hub is situated at the school and follows the announcement at Bett 2016 of the growth of the Ambassador Programme and NCW as the latest educational institution to open its Innovation Hub in the second phase of the programme.

The Ambassador Programme and is a national engagement initiative led by the four global IT leaders that aims to highlight the use of computing power to underpin knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and drive forward innovation and digital skills development at NCW as well as its wider community.

The Innovation Hub will form the central piece of an ongoing partnership NCW, Fujitsu, Intel, Brocade and Kyocera. The hub will be equipped with a range of the latest computing technology, and will be used to promote the use of technology and development of digital skills.

As NCW is committed to being actively involved in the development of skills especially for people who are blind or visually impaired. Once opened, one example of how the Innovation Hub will be used is to support the training of local young people and adults and especially those who have a visual impairment as they move into STEM related careers.

Ash Merchant, Director of Education at Fujitsu, said: “NCW is passionate towards digital transformation and the role of digital in supporting its students – and we’re excited to be a part of that with the launch of the Innovation Hub. A recent survey by Fujitsu revealed that around a fifth (22%) of consumers believe that digital education should be part of the modern education curriculum, which points towards a real need to see education establishments focusing on the digital journey. Educational institutions like NCW will play a crucial role in making this happen – and Fujitsu, supported by our partners, is committed to supporting them in bringing their vision to life.”

Tracey Rawling Church, Head of CSR at KYOCERA Document Solutions UK said: “We’re proud to have been selected by Fujitsu as one of only three partners for this initiative, and to support in meeting its goal to establish 20 new Hubs in Ambassador organisations this year to inspire students and equip them with the practical skills and knowledge for the digital future ahead.

Amit Samani, Education Manager at Brocade said: “Brocade is dedicated to cultivating innovation and harvesting creative potential within students as a conduit to the changing network requirements and the new IOT era. On this programme we look forward to creating a platform for students to continue their journey through technology while creating ambassadors for the digital future.”

Jonathan Fogg, Head of IT at NCW said: ““We are delighted to be working with Fujitsu and its partners and are very excited about launching the NCW Innovation Hub. It will be used for our students and staff to develop their IT skills and also opened up to the community – especially those who are blind and visually impaired or working with those groups of people.”

The main objectives of the Ambassador programme are to support greater collaboration between industry and education, aiding career skills development and providing expertise on personalised technology in teaching and learning.