A new partnership is to deliver more eSports events for UK university students and a career boost for young people in the North West aspiring to work in the fast-growing sector.
National Student Esports (NSE) and HOST, the Home of Skills & Technology based in MediaCity, Salford, to provide valuable career pathways into the technology.
NSE, the official body of university eSports and largest grassroots gaming community in the UK, is supporting HOST on its mission to change the landscape of future technology talent by providing employers with direct access to diverse talent.
The partnership will see a close working relationship between the two, helping to enrich student experiences at university and prepare them for life afterwards. NSE will build on a continued future career development offering and showcase HOST’s state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities through running a series of events at its new Gametech campus in Salford’s MediaCity.
NSE will be highlighting the training and developing opportunities through the Skills City digital Bootcamps provided by HOST, further supporting the talented NSE community and providing them with fair access to a future career in the technology industry.
“We are delighted to join forces with NSE and ensure that all university students have fair access to the many opportunities that this industry is providing,” said Mo Isap, CEO of IN4 Group, operator of HOST.
“Gaming and eSports continues to be one of the fastest-growing sectors, but these skills are in huge demand across the whole economy too.”
Alex Coulson, managing director at NSE said: “In addition to the British University Esports Championship, and all the community eSports and gaming activity we run, we want to offer UK university students more value and opportunities by being a part of our community.
“The students are always our number one priority and we want to help them now and in their future careers, so working with the team at HOST is a natural evolution for us.”
Simon Benson, director of immersive technology at HOST, said: “Technology continues to be a driving force in society and we hope that this partnership will break some of the barriers that students may find themselves with when getting into the industry.
“With the right support, students immersed in eSports and gaming are ideally placed to find a career in technology in any sector they choose.”
Lauren Monks, director of careers education programmes at HOST, said: “We are aiming to evolve our offering and connect those who are in need of guidance with key opportunities and pathways to their future careers in technology.”
The most recent Skills City Bootcamp applications have just closed; however the next set will be opening soon. Students can apply to be registered on to the waiting list to fast-track their careers in Unity Development, Games Development, Cyber Security, Cloud Engineering, Data Analytics, or Software Engineering.
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