Immersive futures for adult learners: why winning the ALT Award for Technology in Adult Learning matters to us

Author: Metaverse Learning Team

We’re absolutely delighted that Metaverse Learning has been named the winner of the ALT Award for Technology in Adult Learning (in partnership with Ufi VocTech Trust) at the 2025 ALT Awards.

For us, this award is about much more than technology. It is recognition from the FE and adult education community that immersive, ethical and inclusive Extended Reality (XR) can genuinely widen participation, improve outcomes and open up new futures for adult learners. 

Why this award matters for adult education

Adult learners bring a huge amount of experience and often a fair amount of anxiety back into education. Many are balancing work, caring responsibilities and financial pressures. Others are returning after negative experiences of schooling, or are studying in a second language. Traditional models of teaching don’t always meet those needs.

That is why this particular award, focused on Technology in Adult Learning and developed with Ufi VocTech Trust, feels so important to us. It celebrates work that helps adults develop skills for work and address real skills gaps in the economy, while putting inclusion and impact at the centre.

Winning it sends a strong signal that immersive XR is no longer a novelty or an add-on. It is a practical, scalable way to support adults into meaningful careers in construction, healthcare, engineering, ESOL, early years and beyond. It also affirms that designing with ethics, accessibility and collaboration in mind is not just “nice to have”, but a core expectation of learning technology in our sector.

Many members of our team come directly from Further Education and skills. Having our work recognised by ALT and Ufi therefore feels like recognition for FE practitioners as much as for Metaverse Learning itself.

How immersive XR is changing adult learning in practice

Across our partnerships, we see the same pattern emerging: immersive learning gives adults a safe place to rehearse for real life – before they face the pressure of an assessment, a placement or a new job.

Newcastle College Group: Reimagining plastering apprenticeships

With Newcastle College Group (NCG), we co-designed an immersive approach to the plastering apprenticeship, embedding XR simulations directly into the curriculum. Apprentices can practise across different wall types and environmental conditions in virtual environments, building technical fluency and confidence before they work on real surfaces.

The outcomes have been striking. NCG reports a 100% apprenticeship completion rate in plastering, with 93% of learners satisfied with the digital tools and 100% reporting improved understanding of the content. Employers highlight better planning, stronger technical skills and more confident communication from apprentices. One instructor captured the shift perfectly:

“We’re not just teaching plastering anymore – we’re inspiring the next generation to see their craft in a whole new light.”

You can read more in our case study: Revolutionising Plastering Apprenticeships with Metaverse Learning at NCG.

Eastern Education Group: Confidence in health, construction and renewables

With Eastern Education Group, immersive XR is supporting adult learners across health and social care, construction and renewables. At West Suffolk College, part of the Group, XR content is integrated into a dedicated XR Lab to help learners explore complex environments and tasks that would be difficult, expensive or risky to recreate in a standard classroom.

Healthcare T-Level students can step into realistic clinical settings, explore anatomy and practise decision-making in a controlled environment. Learners in construction and renewables can visualise sites, systems and processes in detail, building critical thinking and professional confidence before they arrive on placement.

Find out more in our case study: XR Innovation in Education – Eastern Education Group’s Strategic Partnership with Metaverse Learning

WM College: ESOL as “rehearsal for real life”

At WM College, our ESOL programme, developed with awarding body Ascentis, focuses on everyday communication and confidence. Using XR, adult learners rehearse realistic scenarios such as attending appointments, dealing with school meetings or navigating workplace conversations.

Because these scenarios can be repeated as often as needed and accessed on standard laptops as well as VR headsets, learners can progress at their own pace. Tutors report reduced anxiety, increased participation and faster progress in language use, particularly for learners who might otherwise avoid speaking in front of others.

You can read more in our case study: Unlocking Potential – Immersive Technology’s Role in Adult Language Education at WM College

Bradford College: Immersive early years training

At Bradford College, we have worked together on immersive early years scenarios developed in partnership with the Early Years Alliance. Adult learners preparing for careers in childcare and education use these simulations to practise safeguarding, communication and child development decisions in realistic but safe environments.

The college’s pilot showed improvements in knowledge retention, learner engagement and workplace understanding. For many learners, it is the first time they can explore complex safeguarding situations with the time, safety and support needed to reflect and try again.

Read the case study: Transforming Early Years Education Through Immersive Learning 

Bringing CMALT values to life in immersive learning

We are especially proud that our work reflects the values at the heart of ALT’s CMALT Accreditation Framework, which many practitioners in FE and skills use as a benchmark for professional practice in learning technology.

Exploring the interplay of technology and learning
We start with real skills gaps and curriculum requirements, co-developing immersive programmes with colleges, training providers and employers. Subject expertise, pedagogy and XR design evolve together, so that technology is always in service of learning rather than the focus in its own right.

Continual innovation
We continually refine our XR design, integrating real-time feedback, analytics and up-to-date 3D modelling. This allows learners to practise, repeat and master complex skills in ways that traditional methods struggle to support, particularly when tasks are risky, expensive or difficult to stage in real life.

Collaborative practice
Our consortia model brings educators, employers and technologists together to co-create relevant and sector-authenticated simulations. This collaboration keeps content grounded in workplace practice, while also making development costs more manageable across the sector.

Dissemination
We share what we learn. We evaluate our work through learner satisfaction, understanding gains and employer feedback, and we openly share insights, case studies and outcomes so that others can build on them. Our licensing model is designed to make immersive learning affordable and scalable across FE, adult and community providers, rather than limited to a handful of early adopters.

FELT informed ethical design

We also align our practice with ALT’s Framework for Ethical Learning Technology (FELT), which emphasises Awareness, Professionalism, Values, and Care & Community.

Awareness
We use a reflexive design process: listening to learners and educators, actively considering diverse needs and questioning potential biases. We pay attention to the implications of VR – from physical comfort to digital access – and provide options such as desktop access so that learners can exercise autonomy and progress at a pace that works for them.

Professionalism
Our approach is evidence-led and transparent. We use real-time feedback and data to understand what is working, and we align our programmes with educational standards and institutional policies through close consultation with providers and awarding bodies such as Ascentis.

Values
Equity, inclusion and accessibility are central. Our immersive environments offer meaningful alternatives for learners who may struggle in traditional classroom settings, whether due to anxiety, low literacy or limited English. Multi-platform access and flexible design help us cater for a wide variety of learning styles and circumstances.

Care & Community
We design learning environments where it is safe to make mistakes, reflect and try again. We also seek to cultivate care among colleagues through co-design, shared professional learning and open resources. Many of our team have worked in FE, and that background continually shapes how we think about care, community and what sustainable innovation in colleges really looks like.

Find out more about what we do

Winning the ALT Award for Technology in Adult Learning is a huge honour – but we see it as a starting point for deeper collaboration with the FE and skills community.

We are incredibly pleased to receive this award  and even more excited about what comes next as we continue to work with FE, adult and community providers to widen participation and empower adults to build brighter futures through immersive learning.

AmplifyFE Resources

Missed our AmplifyFE podcast with Metaverse Learning? Listen to award winner James Pallister from Metaverse Learning, when he spoke with Chloë Hynes about ‘Bringing the Outside in with Virtual Worlds’ back in 2024

Read their previous AmplifyFE blog post: 10 top tips for including immersive learning into your classroom.