Celebrating the success of students supported by vocational technology
Ufi grant recipient, The BGI, recently held an event at The National Video Games Museum celebrating five students who have completed their six-week gaming design course.
About The BGI and the Next Level project
The BGI is a charity for games culture, skills and diversity. Next Level is their Ufi grant funded project to develop and pilot an online course led by women and non-binary people, for young women and non-binary people; introducing them to video game creation and careers. During their application for grant funding, The BGI noted in particular how black, Asian and minority ethnic young women and non-binary people are underrepresented in video game development education and, consequently, the industry. The BGI's mission with Next Level, supported by Ufi, is to help to turn this around and open up opportunities in this rapidly growing industry.
The five students, who had not previously thought about gaming design as an option, completed a six week course creating their own video game level. Each student developed basic coding skills, level design and gained an insight into the various career pathways into the industry. The course has been accredited by AIM (investing in your future) and students were presented with a certificate.
Each student also received a laptop donated charity Laptops For All to ensure they are able to continue their learning at home and steps towards a career in games development.
This was a pinnacle event, where family and friends of the students attended; and there was a real sense of pride, achievement and most of all, community engagement.
Congratulations to all of the students and wishing every success to the Next Level project pilot going forward.
