Celebrating 50 Years of Access: Ascentis and Metaverse Learning Launch Immersive Learning Scenarios to support Access to HE Health Care based Diplomas
2025 marks 50 years of Access to Higher Education (HE) in the UK, a milestone celebrated for opening doors to adult learners who might otherwise have been unable to pursue higher education. In this landmark year, Ascentis has partnered with Metaverse Learning to launch a set of novel resources, enhanced with immersive learning technology, providing a modern and practical supporting tool into healthcare careers.
Ascentis was established through a partnership between Lancaster University and Nelson and Colne College as the UK’s first ‘Open College’ and the first to offer Access to HE qualifications to adult learners. Over the past five decades, Ascentis has built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality Access programmes that help adults progress into higher education. Following the success of their ESOL resource developments, created in collaboration with Metaverse Learning, the two organisations have now extended their partnership to healthcare education.
The innovative program offers immersive learning experiences that enable learners to engage interactively with content such as fundamentals of human anatomy and physiology, set within familiar healthcare scenarios. The resources also provide opportunity to engage with content and develop approaches to essential interpersonal and communication skills and understanding approaches to safeguarding. Immersive technology is particularly effective in healthcare education, as it enables learners to understand and practice complex skills and decision-making in a safe environment. It prepares students not only academically but also practically and emotionally for real-world healthcare settings.
Phil Wilkinson, Group CEO of Ascentis, said:
“Ascentis has been pioneering Access to HE for 50 years, opening doors for adult learners across the UK. Working again with Metaverse Learning after the success of ESOL was a natural step, and these diplomas give learners the confidence, knowledge, and real-world skills they need to thrive in healthcare education and beyond.”
James Pallister, Director of Client Solutions at Metaverse Learning, said:
“Immersive technology makes learning come alive! In healthcare, especially, it allows learners to develop practical and interpersonal skills in a safe environment where they can embed learning before stepping into real patient settings. Metaverse Learning is delighted to be partnering with Ascentis again on this important project, particularly as it will help more people access careers in healthcare at a time when the UK faces a critical shortage of nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals to meet the demands of an ageing population and growing healthcare needs.”
For aspiring nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, biomedical scientists, and other health professionals, one of the Ascentis healthcare-based diplomas represents more than just a qualification. It’s a practical, immersive, and flexible pathway that builds on 50 years of Access to HE success, helping learners achieve their goals while addressing critical workforce needs in the UK healthcare sector.
