Access Creative College will open its first dedicated esports classroom as part of a new 19,000 sq ft ‘state-of-the-art’ creative campus.
It’s focused on students aged 16+, will open in Aldgate, London in September 2023, and will focus on gaming, esports, music, media and computing.
Acess will offer the Pearson BTEC extended diploma in esports, with two variations of the qualification: one aimed at creative esports broadcast and production, and the other focused on esports performance (aligned more with its sports and competitive brand).
The college will deliver more than 20 courses across five specialisms including BTECs, T-Levels, RSL and access to higher education qualifications, with places for up to 1,000 students overall each academic year.
The campus will feature competition wings, a multi-functional event venue, rehearsal rooms and production pods.
The esports classroom itself will revolve around what Access is calling a ‘super space’. It includes a couple of esports stations, including PCs and equipment, with specs created in consultation with Confetti and Fnatic.
The news comes after Fnatic launched a college partner programme in the UK to help young people get a career in gaming.
The esports stations will allow two teams of up to five (plus a coach) to compete against each other and take part in lessons.
This space can also be separated from the classroom, as Access says, ‘to allow learners to book this specialist space as we build a culture of national esports competition and that feeds into our national and local esports teams’.
When the space is included within the classroom, the gameplay is streamed live into the classroom and learners and teachers can take part in analysis depending on the lesson content. All AV is connected and tutors and students can physically see the competitors playing matches.
Access Creative College will provide a ‘super space’ for each of its creative disciplines. These spaces will feature consist of classrooms and specialist facilities, with the option to divide the space if required. For example, in the music super space, students will be able to watch, listen and use a recording booth within the classroom environment during a lecture or book it separately for private use in free periods.
Access isn’t the only educational institution investing in the campus, as Nottingham Trent University will have its London campus in 2023 there. That’s part of the Confetti institute of Creative Technology, which has invested in 35,000 sq ft inside the same building and currently runs an esports production degree in Nottingham.
Nottingham Trent University/Confetti and Access plan to work together to offer students a pathway into higher education.
“With sub-sectors such as gaming and esports growing rapidly, we need to meet this growth at a higher and further education level, giving young people the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to go on to forge a meaningful career.”
Jason Beaumont, Access Creative College
Access Creative College says the new campus is a ‘significant milestone’ in its 30-year history and will see the relocation and expansion of its existing Shoreditch campus.
The new campus will be housed within the former London Metropolitan University campus on Commercial Road. Owners LaSalle and Trilogy are carrying out a retrofit and extension of the estate to create the creative education centre.
In the past, Access Creative College’s London campuses have been a training ground for its alumni, including Rita Ora, Ed Sheeran, Jess Glynne, Jamie Morrison, Flo, Nova Twins, JP Cooper and Vanessa White.
Jason Beaumont, CEO of Access Creative College, said: “This is a hugely exciting moment in the Access journey. Over the last 20 years we’ve been developing creative talent here in the capital. But the creative industries are growing, and we must grow with it.
“DCMS estimates that the UK creative industries are worth upwards of £115 billion. Globally it’s an industry worth over $2 trillion and is the highest employer of people in the 15-29 demographic.
“With sub-sectors such as gaming and esports growing rapidly, we need to meet this growth at a higher and further education level, giving young people with a passion for these industries the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to go on to forge a meaningful career in the creative and interactive entertainment industries.”
In recent years, more schools, colleges and esports in the UK have opened esports suites and arenas. One of the most recent is Scotland’s Strathallan School, which opened an esports suite for its students including sim racing rigs.
