Pearson launches esports BTEC with British Esports Association

The British Esports Association has partnered with British educational company Pearson to devise a BTEC qualification for esports.

The qualification is said to be “skilled-focused” and a “major step forward” in creating esports careers in the United Kingdom.

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The esports BTEC from the British Esports Association and Pearson will be available for institutions in the UK – and internationally – to offer from September 2020. Funding has been confirmed from the Education and Skills Funding Agency in the UK.

Andy Payne OBE, Chair for British Esports Association, spoke on the initiative in a release: “Esports is a growing, exciting industry that many young people are looking at with interest and it’s important they have the opportunity to unlock their potential and be the leaders of tomorrow. The industry is still finding its feet, but with big names like Pearson coming on board to bring learning and curriculum design expertise, this bodes well for the future workforce.

“We have taken our time to ensure the qualifications are as comprehensive and high quality as possible, in order to provide students with a valuable qualification that will give them the knowledge and skills they need to pursue a career in esports, video games, tech or other related sectors.”

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The BTEC level 3 course comprises of 20 units, including skills such as entrepreneurship, strategy and analysis, events management, live-stream broadcasting, casting, coaching, health and wellbeing, law and legislation, and video production.

Cindy Rampersaud, Senior Vice President BTEC and Apprenticeships at Pearson, added: “The world of esports offers huge employment potential both in the UK and across the world and these new BTEC qualifications will give learners the knowledge and skills they need to build a career in this exciting sector. We have worked closely with industry experts to create a career-focused set of qualifications that will support the rapid growth of the esports sector and offer learners a pathway into working in esports and related industries.”

Esports Insider says: We’re initially sceptical of any and all qualifications for esports as the industry is nascent and not too many people are equipped to build a curriculum around the industry, though this is an interesting case. We know that it has been taken seriously, with plenty of time going into building the qualification, so we’re interested to see the uptake in it from September.

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