#220 – Helping Frontline Workers (Time Invention of 2020)
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Welcome to the first episode of 2021, the latest of our The Voctech Podcast: learning continued series, supported by the Ufi Voctech Trust.
What’s in this episode?
In this episode, we are talking to the inspirational Dr Alex Young about the power of immersive tools to enhance learning and improve performance, especially in socially distanced settings. Virti was nominated as one of TIME’s inventions of 2020, so listen in to find out why. You’ll also hear about;
- why snowstorms can be responsible for amazing innovations
- why the future of immersive technology may be all about the data and can be used for teacher training, healthcare and retail as just a few examples
- why reading biographies can arm you with amazing virtual mentors
- and, why vocational technology is more about co-creation, not just generic SAAS platform business models.
People
Alexander Young, Founder and CEO, Virti | Twitter: @AlexanderFYoung; @Virtilabs
Alex created Virti to help improve mental health support for students and professionals as they learn. A trauma and orthopaedic surgeon by training, Alex built and sold his first company whilst at medical school. He went on to scale an award-winning medical education company internationally from his bedroom while still training in the NHS using self-taught coding skills! Alex holds a master’s degree in Surgical Science and a postgraduate degree in medical education. Alex has won multiple awards with Virti including the VR Healthcare Award at The VR Awards, Royal College of Surgeons’ Edinburgh Triennial Surgical Innovation Prize and the Association of Medical Education Technology Prizes.
Sophie Bailey is the Founder and Presenter of The Edtech Podcast | Twitter: @podcastedtech
Sophie is the founder of the iTunes new and noteworthy, The Edtech Podcast. The mission of The Edtech Podcast is to improve the dialogue between ‘ed’ and ‘tech’ for better innovation, through storytelling. The podcast is downloaded from over 145 countries with the UK, US & Aus in the top 3. Sophie has spoken and moderated at a variety of events including SXSW EDU, Yidan Education Prize, ASU GSV Summit, and the Next Billion Edtech Summit. She is an industry mentor and advisor, including to the UCL Knowledge Lab initiative EDUCATE, a Reimagine Education, GESA Awards, Bett Awards and XPrize Adult Literacy judge, and previous Edtech50 and Edtech Digest winner.
Sophie is passionate about lifelong and everyday learning. If she’s not interviewing a University Vice-Chancellor, Edtech Investor, School Leader, or StartUp about education innovation, she’s engrossed in Teach Your Monster to Read or wrestling her lockdown baby. A keen cyclist, she has recently relocated to West Devon which she considers the English version of the Pyrenees. She is very lucky to work with a distributed team on The Edtech Podcast.
Quotes from this episode
References from this week’s episode
- Ufi Voctech Trust – Website, homepage
- Ufi Voctech – Twitter
- Ufi Voctech Trust – LinkedIn
- Catch up on previous episodes of the VocTech Podcast series here – The Edtech Podcast website link
- VocTech Seed Fund – Website page link (apply 21st January to 11th February 2021)
- Alexander Young – LinkedIn
- Alexander Young – Twitter
- Virti – Website
- Virti – Twitter
- Time Magazine best inventions 2020 – Link to Virti article
- Forbes Article: Virtual Reality Helps Medics Beat Coronavirus – Article link, June 2020
- Techround Interview With Dr Alexander Young, Founder And CEO Of Virti – Article link, Techround, Aug 2020
- Hospital for Special Surgery, New York – Twitter
- Cedars Sinai Hospital, LA – Twitter
- NHSx Project – Website link to more info
- The Lombardi Rules: 26 Lessons from Vince Lombardi – the World’s Greatest Coach – Amazon book link
- Made in America by Sam Walton – Amazon book link
Thank you to the Ufi Voctech Trust
The Voctech Podcast Series is produced by The Edtech Podcast and supported by Ufi Voctech Trust.
Our aim is to help improve vocational skills in the UK’s workforce by funding digital solutions for vocational learning. We only fund activity that is ‘scalable’ through technology, ie projects that use digital methods to widen access to vocational learning. While digital learning solutions are potentially open to all, we are especially keen to assist digital projects which involve post-school age vocational learners that have failed to be engaged by the education system.
Tell us where you are listening in from
We’d love to hear about innovative technology or approaches you are developing or using in adult education. Leave your stories in the comments below. Alternately, record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe for inclusion in the next episode. Finally, you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via twitter @podcastedtech or via The Edtech Podcast Facebook page.
