A VIRTUAL reality expert will be leading a new training programme focused on gaming technology and other software.

Simon Benson, who co-founded PlayStation's VR project will be leading the programme at the Unity Centre of Excellence, based at innovation hub Host in MediaCityUK, Salford.

The centre was set up by Blackburn entrepreneur Mo Isap and aims to make the North West a centre for the gaming industry.

Mr Benson said: “With Unity’s UK Centre of Excellence as an integral component of HOST’s capabilities, we are ideally placed to lead the immersive and interactive revolution that is already influencing many industries such as video gaming, architecture, healthcare and manufacturing.

“Establishing Unity’s UK Centre of Excellence at HOST brings a fantastic blend of high demand skills generation, cutting edge innovation and unparalleled business support, ensuring that MediaCityUK is the only place to be if you’re in the real-time development space.”

The programme is for recent graduates, career changers or those looking to upskill and offers a 12-week remote learning course to equip students with the technical and soft skills they need to accelerate a career in tech as a Unity Certified Professional Programmer.

The programme includes real-life industry projects with leading partners from the advanced manufacturing, architectural engineering, health and creative media sectors.

Learners will also receive personal mentoring and dedicated career support, alongside employability workshops and CV assessments, with a commitment of a guaranteed job interview once they have successfully completed and qualified from the course.

Unity global head of channel partnerships Nicole Zingg said: “The Unity Centre of Excellence at HOST will define a new premium standard of skills generation in Unity.

"With the pace of innovation across industries, the academy is built to support the next generation of skills needed both for the roles of today and tomorrow."

Applications are now open with limited places available.

To find out more, go to: https://www.hostcoe.com.