Discuss. Decide. Do.

WHAT WAS SKILL CITY AND 360 SKILLS FOR LIFE?

Reimagining Dorset's SafeWise skills for life education centres in 2021-22, members of the original charity team worked closely with VR learning specialists Volume, NHS England and other topic experts to create an exciting new virtual reality environment called Skill City. A new community interest company called 360 Skills For Life was formed as a delivery vehicle for the new, nationally available skills for life programme.

The concept focused on using state of the art technology to create classroom opportunities for discussion, decision-making and doing, in realistic environments and situations. It deliberately used existing school hardware rather than costly headsets, to maximise access and keep the emphasis on collaborative real-world learning.

Phase 1 launched in April 2022 with a focus on safeguarding awareness for 10-14 year olds. It included six topic areas each with several different dilemmas to work through in different environments. Skill City and the teacher dashboard of lesson plans and resources was used by over 120 schools in the pilot areas of south west England and Northern Ireland during the pilot phase, producing excellent feedback from teachers, young people and supporting partners.

The platform was financially supported by NHS England, NHS Dorset, Police Service Northern Ireland, Devon Council, Talbot Village Trust, Cooper Deane Trust and others.

Sadly, in a very challenging environment for both schools and non profits, continuity funding was not secured in time, and 360 ceased trading in March 2023 after 12 months of the pilot.

360 Skills For Life Community Interested Company was dissolved on 26th March 2024.