A hub for digital creative industries has been given a £300,000 boost.

The University of Kent’s Docking Station project in Medway has received the cash from the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust.

The money will help provide the skils and access to digital careers for young people in the area.

Work on the hub’s permanent base at the Grade-II listed Police Section House within Chatham’s Historic Dockyard is due to start in the autumn of 2024 and be completed in 2026. Earlier this year, it was awarded £3.5 million in lottery funding. But the scheme is already active in the community through a number of its key partners.

They include the likes of the Medway Learning & Skills Hub, Medway Libraries, Brook Theatre and Electric Medway.

Funding from the trust will allow access to immersive technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality.

Professor Shane Weller, the university’s deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation, said: ‘I would like to thank the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust for its generous donation and for its support of this very exciting project – one that will benefit a diverse range of people and industries across Medway, providing them with access to new and emerging technologies, as well as the opportunity to participate in and learn from cutting-edge creative projects.

‘Docking Station is an important new development for the university. It reflects our commitment to providing new education and training opportunities, supporting local businesses and contributing to the regeneration of our region.”

Daniel Ratcliff, head of skills, employment and adult education at Medway Council, added: “As VR becomes a greater presence impacting more aspects of daily life, having access to high quality VR technology will allow tutors to explore and exploit different ways of teaching; embedding virtual reality into the wider curriculum and allowing learners to develop ICT skills and gain an understanding of the benefits VR has to offer.”

Jacqueline Rae, CEO of the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, concluded: “The trust aims to reach young people living in the most deprived areas of Kent and Medway, facing significant socio-economic challenges. We believe that the Docking Station’s pilot outreach programme will raise their aspirations and improve their options, opportunities, and life chances.”