Metaverse university? Monaco entrepreneur outlines vision for attracting students to Jersey

A technology business leader says Jersey could attract top researchers and students from across the world if the island created a metaverse university. Manila di Giovanni, a technology entrepreneur from Monaco, was speaking at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting earlier this week about the possibility of forming a university in the island. Di Giovanni is the founder of DWorld, a virtual reality software which allows people to explore cities and countries with the aim of improving the way the cities work in the real world through the use of technology. She told ITV News: "Having Jersey pioneering in the tech industry would attract famous researchers, innovators in the field."And the students would automatically come to learn about these new skills and have the Jersey experience because we want to create, also, an interconnected ecosystem where there isn't just the university, but also, the local enterprises that are part of Jersey."The business leader says Jersey's economy could be diversified through the introduction of a university which incorporates the use of virtual reality as its defining characteristic.

Although Jersey does not have a designated university facility, Higher Education is accessible to both islanders and students outside the Channel Islands. University College Jersey is based at Highlands College and offers several degree-level courses that are delivered in partnership with the University of Sussex, University of Plymouth and London South Bank University. Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies also offers a Postgraduate Masters degree in Island Biodiversity and Conservation run by the University of Exeter. The Institute of Law Jersey offers a University of London accredited law degree as well. Jo Terry-Marchant, Principal of Highlands College and University College Jersey says attracting more students to the island requires creating a "unified hub" for Higher Education. She told ITV News: "We need a unified hub for a better student experience and that enables greater innovation and also efficiencies in sharing staff and support."

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