The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, which includes Castleford College, Wakefield College and Selby College, has been announced as one of three of the UK’s Digital Insight Hubs – recognising the Group as one of the pioneering institutions for digital transformation in the further education sector.
Alongside Basingstoke College of Technology and South Staffordshire College, the Group has been named as a Digital Insight Hub as part of an Association of Colleges and Ufi VocTec Trust partnership which aims to improve accessibility to technology and promote digital skills within teaching and learning environments in the FE sector.
The Group is set to host events, mentor peers and showcase its effective practices to the wider FE sector, helping other colleges adopt effective digital practice in their curriculums and wider strategies.
Rob Lea, Digital Teaching and Learning Lead at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “We’re proud to be selected as one of the country’s Digital Insight Hubs and the only one in the North of England, a true testament to how effective our Digital Strategy has been. As a Hub, we will now play a central role in shaping digital excellence across the sector, offering actionable insights, scalable models of practice and sector-relevant innovation that other colleges can adopt. We’re looking forward to collaborating and sharing our best practices nationally to help make a real difference for staff and learners.”
In 2024, the Group launched its digital skills programme, I>innovate, which was rolled out to staff and students across the three Colleges. The I>innovate programme consists of digital learning opportunities and awards for staff and students, helping to encourage and implement the use of technology in teaching, learning and working.
Each of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’s Colleges are home to an I>innovate Pod offering a range of technology that students can use in their dedicated digital skills lessons, including virtual reality, podcast stations, green screens, cameras and more. In the Health & Social Care provision, VR technology is used to simulate emergency response situations, allowing students to rehearse interactions and decision-making within immersive scenarios, helping them to bridge the gap between theory and practice in a controlled environment.
Student utilising VR technology in the I>innovate Pod at Wakefield College.
Since its launch, I>innovate has delivered over 250 sessions to staff and seen over 3000 students utilise the pods in lessons.
On Tuesday 28th April, the Group will host its Digital Insight Day at Wakefield College, inviting colleges in to hear about how the Group has implemented its digital strategy and transformation across both staff and student bodies. The event will cover a breadth of topics such as everyday digital practices, assessment methods, tools to reduce workload and enhance student experience as well as an opportunity to use some of the technology offered at the College.
This comes as the Group’s I>innovate has been recognised by the Educate North Awards, being named a finalist for the Digital and AI Innovation Award (HE/FE Sector). The Educate North Awards are renowned for being the most prestigious education awards in the North of England, giving both finalists and winners high acclaim.
Rob Lea, Digital Teaching and Learning Lead at the Group, has also been shortlisted in the Educational Leader of the Year Award for the Edufuturists Uprising Awards - an annual awards event championing educators and organisations who make outstanding contributions in education.
The Digital Learning team at the Group have plans to review and upgrade the I>innovate programme in Summer, as the programme becomes a sector-leading digital skills initiative for FE.
You can find out more about the Digital Insight Day at Wakefield College here.
To learn more about the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, please visit its website at: https://www.heartofyorkshire.ac.uk/