UK Launches First Esports Leadership Qualification for Youth with British Esports and Leadership Skills Foundation
British Esports, the UK's national body for esports, in collaboration with the Leadership Skills Foundation, formerly known as SLQ Sports Leaders, has launched an esports leadership qualification programme for young people in England.
The initiative introduces the first esports qualifications for those aged 11 and above who want to take their first steps onto the esports career pathway.
The programme is set to start in September 2024 and offers two specific qualifications: the Level 1 Qualification in Leadership Skills and the Level 2 Qualification in Leadership Skills.
Initially, these will be available in Trailblazer Centres, which include a variety of educational settings such as secondary schools, alternative provision schools, community groups, further education colleges, and professional football clubs.
Centres that take up the qualifications from September 2024 onwards will be known as Pioneer centres or early adopter centres.
These new qualifications aim to cultivate leadership skills necessary for leading esports activities, leveraging the interest many young people have in video games and esports. The curriculum aims to provide an educational framework that allows schools and colleges to integrate esports into their students’ learning pathways.
The Level 1 qualification requires 16 tutored hours, and the Level 2 qualification requires 20 tutored hours. These new offerings contrast with the existing Level 2 and 3 Esports BTEC qualifications developed by British Esports and Pearson for students aged 16 to 18, typically taking one to two years to complete.
The programme also serves as an additional qualification for those already involved in competitive esports, such as participants in the British Esports Student Champs, a national tournament for students aged 12 and above.
Kalam Neale, Head of Education at British Esports, stated, "For the first time ever, those aged as young as 11 can now gain an industry-recognized qualification for the skills they develop through esports and esports leadership. This will enable more young people to take their first steps onto their esports career pathway at an earlier age."
Lucy Supperstone, Director of Innovation and Standards at the Leadership Skills Foundation, said, "Working with the British Esports Federation, our aim is to support young people to be able to lead esports activities that engage their local communities and promote the opportunities that esports offer in terms of skill development."
The announcement has led to the registration of 16 Trailblazer centres across England to deliver the Esports Leadership Programme. Organisations interested in becoming a Trailblazer centre can apply until the end of March 2024.
The programme is described as flexible, allowing alternative provision schools to deliver it to students with disabilities online without the necessity of a physical esports classroom.
Kalam Neale concluded, "It’s also flexible as alternative provision schools can deliver programmes to those with disabilities online, for example, without the need for an esports classroom."
