Immersive VR at Coleg Gwent's High Value Engineering Campus.
How iXRLabs' immersive engineering content - running on HTC VIVE - became part of the UK college sector's only High Value Engineering Campus (HiVE), equipping learners for the industries of the future.
At a glance
£15.6M
Immersive learning in a flagship engineering campus.
iXRLabs immersive engineering content was deployed at Coleg Gwent's High Value Engineering Campus (HiVE) in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent - running on HTC VIVE headsets as part of the campus's AR/VR and advanced manufacturing offering. Opened in September 2025, HiVE is the only facility of its kind in the UK college sector, giving learners hands-on access to the industries of the future, and iXRLabs' immersive modules form part of its digital toolkit.
Equipping learners for the industries of the future.
HiVE was created to give learners hands-on access to the industries of the future - robotics and automation, aerospace, motorsport and autonomous vehicles, and advanced manufacturing. But even a state-of-the-art campus can't physically house every system, process, or piece of equipment learners need to understand, and much of it is expensive or hazardous to operate. Immersive VR was part of HiVE's vision from the outset - a way to let learners explore advanced engineering safely, repeatably, and at scale.
iXRLabs content on HTC VIVE.
As part of HiVE's AR/VR and advanced manufacturing offering, iXRLabs immersive engineering content was deployed on HTC VIVE headsets. Learners step into and interact with engineering systems and equipment - exploring how things work, practising hands-on, and repeating as often as they need - complementing the campus's physical robotics and advanced-manufacturing technology with immersive, virtual practice.
In the news
HiVE's opening was celebrated publicly by Coleg Gwent and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council - "buzzing with excitement over HiVE" - developed with support from the Welsh Government, the UK Government, and the Tech Valleys programme.
About Coleg Gwent & HiVE.
Coleg Gwent is Wales' largest further education college, serving learners across five main campuses in South East Wales - Crosskeys, Newport, Torfaen, Ebbw Vale, and Usk. Its newest, the High Value Engineering Campus (HiVE), is a 21,808-square-foot facility in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, built on the former Monwel Hankinson factory site and opened in September 2025. Backed by £10.8 million from the UK Government (£9.3m Levelling Up Funding and £1.5m Shared Prosperity Funding) and £4.8 million from the Welsh Government's Tech Valleys programme, HiVE is the only facility of its kind in the UK college sector - delivering high-tech training in robotics, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and IT for young people and businesses across the country.
What the deployment delivered.
iXRLabs content forms part of the UK college sector's only campus of its kind.
Robotics, aerospace, motorsport, and advanced manufacturing.
Learners explore advanced and otherwise-inaccessible systems virtually, on HTC VIVE.
Immersive VR alongside the campus's robotics and advanced-manufacturing equipment.
Immersive learning in a flagship facility iXRLabs content forms part of the UK college sector's only campus of its kind.
Hands-on with the industries of the future Robotics, aerospace, motorsport, and advanced manufacturing.
Safe, repeatable practice Learners explore advanced and otherwise-inaccessible systems virtually, on HTC VIVE.
Complements physical technology Immersive VR alongside the campus's robotics and advanced-manufacturing equipment.
Blending real and virtual hands-on learning.
HiVE represents a bet on immersive, hands-on skills as the foundation of the industries of the future. By including iXRLabs content among its digital tools, the campus gives learners a way to explore advanced engineering that physical equipment alone can't provide - safely, repeatably, and at scale. It is a model for how flagship technical-education facilities can blend real and virtual hands-on learning.
Immersive engineering in a flagship FE facility
Coleg Gwent's HiVE in Ebbw Vale is a flagship further education facility focused on AR, VR and advanced manufacturing, and it runs iXRLabs immersive engineering content on HTC VIVE headsets. Backed by substantial UK and Welsh Government funding and described as the UK college sector's only centre of its kind, the HiVE was built to give further education students access to the immersive and advanced-manufacturing technologies that shape modern industry.
Deploying immersive engineering content in a facility of this ambition places iXRLabs modules at the centre of a purpose-built environment for hands-on, technology-led learning. For further education students, that access to industry-relevant immersive technology is directly connected to employability.
Why further education benefits from immersive learning
Further education is intensely practical and workforce-oriented, and immersive technology is a strong fit for that mission. It gives students hands-on experience with machinery, systems and processes that a college workshop cannot always contain, and it does so safely and repeatably. Running that content on dedicated VR hardware in a facility designed around immersive and advanced manufacturing technology makes it part of the everyday learning environment rather than an occasional add-on.
Why it matters
The Coleg Gwent HiVE deployment shows that immersive learning belongs in further education as much as in universities. In a sector defined by practical, career-focused training, giving students hands-on access to industry-relevant immersive technology addresses the core educational mission directly.
Immersive technology and employability
For a further education college, the ultimate measure of a facility like the HiVE is whether it prepares students for work. Advanced manufacturing and immersive technologies are increasingly part of modern industry, and students who gain hands-on experience with them during their studies enter the workforce with directly relevant, in-demand skills. Running iXRLabs immersive engineering content on dedicated VR hardware in a purpose-built facility means Coleg Gwent students engage with the kind of technology they will encounter in industry, connecting their learning to real employment prospects rather than to abstract theory. In a sector where the distance between education and employment is meant to be short, that direct line from immersive learning to industry-relevant skill is exactly the point.
About iXRLabs
iXRLabs is an AI-powered VR and XR lab platform for higher education, delivering immersive, hands-on lab modules across Engineering, Medical, Sciences and Nursing. The platform helps universities and colleges teach systems and equipment that are hard, expensive or unsafe to access in reality, with browser-based WebXR delivery, LMS integration, the 7thi AI tutor and built-in assessment - so immersive learning can reach a whole cohort, not just a single lab.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
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Bring immersive VR to your college.
Start with a focused deployment mapped to your programmes and hardware - the way Coleg Gwent did at HiVE on HTC VIVE - then expand across subjects and facilities.