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During the course, students also benefit from working with real employers and gain an insight into the kinds of companies they might be interested in pursuing careers with.
“The games, animation and VFX sectors are young, dynamic and vibrant. In order to keep them that way, we wanted to create a route that allows employers to find the best new creative talent coming out of schools and ensure they are equipped with the most relevant skills needed to forge successful careers in these industries.”
- Gina Jackson, Managing Director, NextGen Skills Acadmey
And they didn’t stop there.
Whilst this is only the start of the journey to ensure that young people can learn the right skills to open doors into videogames development, animation or visual effects careers, it’s a real step in the right direction. Students emerging from the Level 3 diploma can either choose to move onto University or take advantage of one of four new Higher Apprenticeships being created by NextGen in the UK for the games and VFX industries, which promise to put young people ahead of the pack by combining on-the-job experience with studying for high-level qualifications.
With so much change occurring at pace in the creative industries, equipping bright, talented
creative young people with a broader range of skills to enable them to make better career choices is not only responsible, it is essential to allow both them and our industries to get ahead of the game.
I’m interested. What do I do next?
The Level 3 Extended Diploma is currently available in four colleges, with more to follow in future:
-North East Surrey College of Technology (Nescot)
-Uxbridge College
-Sunderland College
-Truro & Penwith College
To find out more and to register interest please visit www.nextgenskillsacademy.com/students
Photograph courtesy of Nan Palmero, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nanpalmero/13013107993/