National consortium of intermediate vocational schools and industry gives impetus to application of immersive technology
The OASIS consortium is the largest national collaboration in the Netherlands on immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
Six leading mbo vocational schools and 22 Dutch media, game and entertainment companies are launching the national consortium OASIS, supported by funding from the Regional Investment Fund mbo. OASIS is the largest national collaboration focusing on training Dutch specialists in immersive technology. The launch of OASIS took place 9 July at Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam.
By 2030, up to 23 million jobs are expected to be influenced by immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) (PwC). These technologies offer innovative solutions for sectors such as healthcare, spatial planning and education. This increases the demand for specialists.
OASIS, which stands for Organised Advancement of Specialists in Immersive Solutions, responds to this by bringing education and business together and jointly training immersive specialists. One of their initiatives is to develop MBO-4 education programmes in the field of immersive design.
Future-proof labour market and economy
OASIS constitutes the largest Dutch collaboration in immersive technology, with partners entering into an agreement for at least four years. OASIS partners include Banijay Benelux, ITV Studios, Fremantle, EMG, NEP and NPO Innovation.
Rufus Baas, programme director of OASIS, says: “By stimulating these developments, we ensure that the Netherlands remains an important player on the world stage. We are therefore very proud of this national collaboration, with fantastic partners actively supporting this initiative.”
Edwin van der Veen, COO at ITV Studios Netherlands, partner of OASIS, says of the collaboration: “We believe that the future of television lies in immersive technology. By training talent in these techniques, we can continue to produce high-quality content efficiently and ensure that the Netherlands remains at the forefront of the television world. This development is a crucial step towards a future in which the Dutch television industry can continue to grow and innovate.”
Ruud Rabelink, Director SintLucas; “This is a development we must and want to embrace. After all, in the future, technologies will be applied within more and more fields to solve issues or to increase knowledge and skills . As a leading creative engineering school, we want to be at the forefront and help shape the applications of these technologies. To make that happen, cooperation and research are necessary. Thanks to OASIS, it is possible to start new courses at an accelerated pace and thus meet the labour market’s demand for specialists in, for instance, IX, VR and AR.Professionalising and updating knowledge is also important. With OASIS, we can offer our subject teachers as well as alumni and other professionals an up-to-date offer in lifelong development and thus remain relevant to society.”
Partner of CIIIC, supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
The official launch of OASIS on 9 July took place at a meeting of CIIIC (Creative Industries Immersive Impact Coalition), with which OASIS works closely. CIIIC is a National Growth Fund programme of the Ministry of Education, Culture & Science that aims to strengthen the deployment and impact of immersive technology in the Netherlands. OASIS is supported by the Regional Investment Fund mbo (RIF) and has been awarded a grant of EUR 2.4 million. Future projects and initiatives
In the coming years, OASIS will focus on developing the following initiatives:
– An Innovation Board: a group of experts from business, education and government to advise on strategic guidelines to promote the deployment of immersive solutions.
– Immersive Design education programme: vocational schools and companies will develop relevant and up-to-date educational offerings, where students learn all about creating and applying VR, AR, 3D modelling, UI/UX design and storytelling.
– An Immersive Academy: a place for teachers, practitioners and professionals to use innovative projects to update knowledge, explore technologies and integrate them within business processes.
– An Immersive Solutions Practorate: stimulates applied research and innovation in the field of immersive technology between educational institutions, businesses and governments.
– An Immersive Learning Community: a network for cooperation and knowledge exchange, supported by an online platform for virtual interaction.
OASIS
OASIS (Organised Advancement of Specialists in Immersive Solutions) is a national consortium dedicated to training specialists in immersive technology. Immersive technology is a collective term for technologies that let users ‘immerse’ in an interactive, lifelike virtual experience.
OASIS unites six leading technical-creative intermediate vocational schools and 22 leading companies from the media, gaming and entertainment industries. It is the largest national collaboration in the Netherlands in the field of immersive technology, such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).The six intermediate vocational schools that have joined OASIS as partners are: Mediacollege Amsterdam, Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht, Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam, SintLucas, Cibap and Nimeto.
OASIS cooperates with the following business parties: Media Campus NL, Sound and Vision, Redrum Bureau, CoVince, 360Fabriek, DA-RE Health Innovation, Fremantle Productions, AVROTROS, Banijay Benelux, ITV Studios Netherlands, TalpaStudios, Emagine, Stichting Nederlandse Publieke Omroep, Weknow Studio, Connec2, Stichting Gamelab Oost, Nehem, Iron Films, NEP the Netherlands, EMG Netherlands, Studio XNL and Meta.
Immersive Academy
Immersive academy is a place for teachers, practitioners and professionals to update knowledge, explore technologies and integrate them within business processes through innovative projects. Developments are rapid. The training courses and learning offerings match market demand. Here, we make use of the OASIS partnership, which enables us to offer the right experienced trainers and content integrally. In autumn, our training offer around Immersive design will come online. Would you like to be the first to have the opportunity to participate?