For transparency: Esports News UK editor Dom Sacco used to work full-time for British Esports between September 2016 and February 2021, and currently does some freelance work for them, producing their weekly email newsletter
National body the British Esports Federation has announced an eight-week Esports Accelerator Programme in Sunderland.
It’s designed to connect individuals with members of the esports industry, and consists of workshops, mentoring, investment support and a business support plan.
The Esports Accelerator Programme is put on in partnership with Sunderland Software City. It’s free to attend and is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund – part of the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda which provides £2.6bn of funding for local investment by March 2025.
It is being held at British Esports’ National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland, and is designed to upskill people in employment that are either living in Sunderland, or working for businesses who are registered in Sunderland.
For said employers or businesses already registered in Sunderland, they can also receive free staff team training away day packages to upskill their workforce. And there’s also a stipend of £2,000 to help attendees commute to and stay in Sunderland.
There are various support packages and online training (CPD) also available as part of the programme.
It’s the latest education-focused initiative from British Esports, which already offers the Esports BTEC to colleges in the UK, with education provider Pearson.
British Esports said: “Through this programme, British Esports will work with participants to develop a range of digital and life skills to support their development within the workplace whilst also responding to local skills needs as identified in the NELSIP (North East Local Skills Improvement Plan).
“The programme will enable local people to progress into new opportunities and gain skills to support career progression aligned to the key priorities in the Sunderland Digital Inclusion Plan. These skills include communication, leadership, organisation, self-confidence, time management, strategic thinking, data processing, analysis, speaking, listening, staying positive, aiming high, creativity and digital and technical skill development.”
British Esports also spoke about the Esports Accelerator Programme at some recent Esports 101 events in Sunderland, as part of TechNext.
There’s more info on the British Esports website.
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.
