‘While everyone has a story to tell, not everyone has the same opportunities’

You might have heard the word “metaverse” thrown around by Silicon Valley moguls like Mark Zuckerberg and new e-commerce shopping platforms like Shopify. But what the concept actually means is something that even its supporters can’t always define.

A new scholarship is hoping to change this however, whilst also aiming to bring more diversity to the tech sector, especially relating to a lack of women and people from minority ethnic groups.

Access Creative College is the UK’s leading games, music and media college, with a £5m Games and Media campus located in Bristol’s city centre. It’s now teamed up with Condense, a company that streams live events into 3D worlds – otherwise known as the metaverse, with funding from venture capital company, LocalGlobe.

Research has shown that recruitment and funding are some of the main reasons for a lack of diversity in the industry.

“When it comes to board positions within leading tech companies in the UK, the statistics are deeply concerning, with the lack of gender split and those from ethnic minority backgrounds,” said Jackson Armstrong, executive head of marketing at Access Creative College.

“We’re excited at the prospect of helping to change that through this new scholarship programme and we’re currently on the lookout for applicants to apply online,” he continued.

Condense and Access Creative College recently held a Metaverse event with Bristol artists Dread MC, Badliana and Lebo to celebrate the launch of the scholarship programme.

The four artists were invited to perform at the cinema’s Metaverse Studio, to be made into a film that will eventually be made into a fully-fledged Metaverse production.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgoxOz-KDIh/

According to Wired, broadly speaking, the technologies companies refer to when they talk about “the metaverse” can include virtual reality—characterised by persistent virtual worlds that continue to exist even when you’re not playing—as well as augmented reality that combines aspects of the digital and physical worlds.

The metaverse can take many forms, including gaming, online communities and business meetings where people collaborate via a digital facsimile or avatar of themselves.

It’s considered by many in the tech industry to be the next evolution of the internet, with Meta (previously Facebook) announcing plans to spend $10bn over the course of this year on technologies to build its own vision of the metaverse.

Successful applicants to Access Creative College’s programme will take part in a 12-week intensive programme, completely funded through the scholarship.

The programme begins in September, and successful scholars will learn how to stream live events into metaverse technology, covering everything from digital graphics, 3D modelling, photogrammetry and textures, Realtime VFX and in game/ venue scaling to enhancing virtual worlds, enriching virtual worlds, interactions, spatial sound, player movement and networking basics.

Speaking about the importance of the scholarship, James Tong, head of people at Condense, said: “You should apply for this scholarship because while everyone has a story to tell, not everyone has the same opportunities in life.

“This is an incredible opportunity to carve out a career in engineering and metaverse content creation. It’s a 12 week fully-funded intensive course, so you will meet other people with similar interests and ambitions, and it could even lead to a permanent job with Condense.”

Applicants can apply for the scholarship here.

Main photo: Access Creative College X Condense

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