SE Case Study
Working with City College Brighton, NC Soft and PartnerTrans, Skillset is piloting the very first Apprenticeship in QA and Games Production (games testing to identify flaws and improve the overall gaming experience). The Apprenticeship was developed in response to a priority industry need identified by Skillset in its Sector Skills Agreement for the industry and represents the dividends of relationships between commercial and academic partners.
Four trainees were recruited onto a year long placement within a QA team which is supplemented by regular training at City College. The Apprenticeship is awarded by City and Guilds and provides a level 2 qualification.
Sam Watts, QA Manager at NCsoft Europe makers of games such as Lineage, City of Heroes and Guild Wars, acting as a mentor on the apprenticeship programme. He told us:
"Being involved in the shaping of the future Apprenticeship and mentoring the candidates allows me to pass my experience on to potential future full-time employees; or just be happy in the knowledge that they are able to gain employment elsewhere with a sound understanding of the fast-paced games industry.."
Apprentice Adam Bilbrough said of his experiences on the pilot:
"I took this Apprenticeship so that I can gain the skills and knowledge required for the role in the QA aspect of the games industry, as well as get a recognised qualification in this career."
It is hoped that following its evaluation in the summer of 2007, this pilot scheme will pave the way for companies across the UK to establish similar apprenticeships. Providing an invaluable mix of practical and theoretical learning methods and establishing structured entry routes into the industry helping to attract and retain a diverse range of talented people within the workforce.
