The University of Warwick has received £135,000 in funding to provide experiences and opportunities to 16 to 24-year-old ‘NEETs’ (young people that are not engaged in education, employment or training).
The project has been funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund (CRF), with Warwick being one of five launch partners working with Warwickshire County Council to receive funding and deliver opportunities to those who need them most.
As part of the programme, the university is looking for experts in a variety of sectors to join its participants and share insights.
Warwick’s bid, titled ‘Esports Futures’, will take young people across a two-day experience where they will learn soft skills and transferable skills at the University of Warwick’s Esports Centre, which opened last year.
“Warwick is proud to further our commitment to esports by welcoming young people from across our region to our campus so that they can acquire practical knowledge of this exciting sector.”
Stuart Croft, University of Warwick
Following a session, each group of 24 participants will have access to a career focus group then a grand showcase in April to celebrate their achievements.
The university’s vice chancellor Stuart Croft said: “I’m delighted that the University of Warwick’s esports programme is continuing to help bring fresh skills, investment and job opportunities to our local community.
“Through the generous support of Community Renewal Fund and working closely our regional partners, Warwick is proud to further our commitment to esports by welcoming young people from across our region to our campus so that they can acquire practical knowledge of this exciting sector.”
The first day will see participants create and compete in an esports tournament, covering event planning, using streaming broadcasting software, and learning the values of teamwork and more on the competitive side.
Then, on day two they’ll be taught media skills like graphic design and video editing, using footage recorded in day one to build a narrative and story, before sharing those stories across different platforms, like print journalism and social media.
Industry experts will also talk about the careers available. The University of Warwick is currently looking for industry mentors to apply (see the bottom of this article).
The University of Warwick has been named Esports University of the Year for three years in a row.
The news comes after the Scottish Government made a £1.3m computing in schools pledge, which could help to lift esports in the country.
Industry mentors can sign up to the University of Warwick’s programme here, while youth leaders can sign up a group to the University of Warwick’s programme here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
