Creative Careers Programme funds DSH esports

We’re still reeling with excitement from news announced earlier this year; kick-starting a brand-new chapter for the programme and the expansion of our immersive careers education offering.

Digital Schoolhouse’s immersive careers education (ICE) was born from a seed of an idea (which you may have heard us talk about before), the Digital Schoolhouse (DSH) esports tournament. Since our inaugural tournament in 2017, it quickly became apparent that via this mechanism, we (industry) were able to talk to students about their future careers and vice versa, in an accessible and engaging way.

Thanks to the Creative Careers Programme (CCP) from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) we will continue to receive funding to help introduce more students to the opportunities available within the creative digital industries, specifically through our esports tournament which is estimated to reach over 6000+ students this academic year.

Born out of the landmark Sector Deal between government and the Creative Industries Council (CIC) in 2018, the £14 million Creative Careers Programme led by industry, will continue to see leading industry figures working with schools and colleges to raise awareness of employment opportunities in the sector, reaching more than 160,000 students by March 2020.

So, how does it work? Through championing players and events teams equally. For example, institutions participating in the DSH tournament, receive full job descriptions for multiple careers roles including Community Managers and Shoutcasters, crafted by the video games industry for implementation in an educational setting.

Through complete immersion in the tournament, namely practical experience running their school heats and combined guidance from their careers coaches (video games professionals), students develop a well-informed perception of what different roles entail within the creative digital sector and opportunities available to them. Esports observer and student at St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy said:

Taking part in Digital Schoolhouse has enabled me to have experiences that would otherwise be unknown to me. With the experiences gained from observing in esports I have had an incredible boost in my self confidence and self-esteem - anyone can join and feel wanted in the atmosphere of competitive gaming. At the previous DSH grand finals I had the incredible opportunity to work behind the scenes on the Twitch stream with the observation camera! Anyone possibly looking for a career in esports and competitive gaming should seriously get involved with this.

In addition to experience and connections made, students have their careers experience accredited by The Duke of York’s Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA) through digital badges which count towards their Bronze Level Award.

Esports as a vehicle for delivering careers education, continues to prove successful and in addition to our ground-breaking tournament, we’re launching a new One Minute Mentor campaign on 31 October.

One Minute Mentor (OMM) aims to provide young, aspiring students with insights into the breadth of roles and opportunities available within the creative digital industries, in a digestible and engaging format. Students will have free access to short inspiring videos, made by people who work in the video games industry to showcase career paths they may not be aware of.

With funding from the CCP and other contributors, plus more schools and students than ever, the future of immersive careers is looking very bright indeed.

Are you a school or college looking to take part in the Digital Schoolhouse Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle? Register here.

Interested in sponsoring the Digital Schoolhouse esports, please get in touch with our esports manager Mike.