Coventry College shaping future of Esports’ role in education

@CoventryCollege is helping to shape the growing role that Esports is set to play throughout the UK’s education sector at an industry-leading summit.

The city’s leading further education provider has been invited to speak at the British Esports Association’s Esports in Education Summit, which is being held virtually on 10 November.

The summit brings together Senior Leaders, Curriculum Managers, Lecturers and Team Coaches from across the UK to discuss the impact, developments and opportunities available in competitive gaming within colleges.

Shoubna Naika-Taylor is the curriculum lead for Creative and Digital at Coventry College, and is also team manager for the College’s dedicated student-based Esports team, Coventry Crosshairs, and will be speaking about creating a culture for Esports to thrive within education.

The invitation to the summit comes after Coventry Crosshairs caught the eyes of industry officials in their debut season, where they made it to the semi-finals of the British Esports Association’s national Overwatch Tournament, as well as defeating the British Esports Association’s admin team which was made up of professional gamers.

Shoubna said:

“What Coventry Crosshairs has achieved in a short amount of time is fantastic, and as a College we are incredibly proud to see the wider Esports and education industry looking to us as an example of how to integrate Esports into an education setting.

“Esports is a multi billion pound industry that is watched by more than four million in the UK, and is fertile ground for a variety of career opportunities, but for Esports to consolidate itself into mainstream education we need to establish a culture where it is taken as seriously as other subjects.

“Coventry College has ambitions to launch a course dedicated to bringing through the next generation of Esports professionals – including players, coaches and shoutcasters – and being invited to this prestigious summit is a vote in confidence by the wider industry in our vision.

“Creating our own dedicated Esports team that reflects life as a professional Esports gamer – including a coaching set-up, state-of-the-art equipment and regular tactical training sessions – was a step in the right direction for us.

“The summit will enable us to share best practice with the wider industry, while also serving as a useful resource that can inform our plans for launching our own course in the future.”

Coventry College’s invitation to the British Esports Association’s Esports in Education Summit has coincided with Colleges Week – which runs from 19 until 23 October – and is a Further Education-wide initiative that celebrates the role that UK colleges play in their wider communities.

Gemma Knott, Assistant Principal for Business Growth at Coventry College, added:

“In just one year Shoubna and her team have shown what an influential role Coventry College can play in helping to bring through the next generation of professionals in a sector that is fast growing.

“This is a fantastic example of the College working with industry to develop the skills required for the future, and we look forward to harnessing this relationship with the British Esports Association over the coming years.”