Sunderland College and British Esports Extend Partnership

Sunderland College and British Esports announced a unique partnership which has seen the development of future talent and support in Sunderland for becoming a global hub for esports.

The college and the national esports body have previously combined their expertise to offer young people and adults the opportunity to gain the skills, knowledge and qualifications to prepare for a career in the rapidly growing esports industry and be at the forefront of new developments and will continue to do so in their extended partnership.

Toni Rhodes, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Education Partnership North East, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with British Esports to ensure our students gain the best experience to prepare them for a career in this dynamic, growth sector.

“I’m looking forward to continuing developing our relationship with British Esports and creating more opportunities for Sunderland and our students. Together we will be at the forefront of new developments and lead the way in creating pathways for young people to progress to an exciting career in esports and other digital industries.”

The esports courses are delivered at ‘The Place’ in Sunderland, part of the multi-million-pound National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC). The campus provides state-of-the-art facilities, training and investment that supports Sunderland, the North East and the UK in becoming globally recognised and capable of attracting and developing the world’s best esports talent.

Students will continue to have access to dedicated esports classrooms, performance rooms and streaming booths. The campus also plays host to regular esports events, community tournaments and recently announced the Young Learners – Esports Career Skills Programme summer camp, whilst also being a bootcamp space for the Team Great Britain Esports team.

The British Esports Federation is a not-for-profit national body, established in 2016, to promote esports in the UK. British Esports President, Chester King, said: “We recognise the value that this extended partnership will continue to bring to Sunderland and the wider community across the North East, but also to the UK esports community. We are excited to be a part of the educational journey of the young people accessing the provision to support their progression into careers in our industry.”

In a unique position, where the provision is delivered from the National Esports Performance Campus and supported by British Esports, Sunderland College offers a 1-year Level 2 Esports Diploma and a 2-year Level 3 Esports Extended Diploma. From September 2024, students can also enrol to the Level 4 Higher Nationals in Esports, which will also be delivered from the NEPC.

All Sunderland College students also have the opportunity to join the Sunderland Seers esports team, currently made up of students from the college’s NextGen and esports programmes. The Seers, take part nationally in the British Esports Student Champs, the largest grassroots esports competition in the UK where over 500 schools and colleges compete, having previously been crowned champions in League of Legends, Rocket League and Overwatch.

Sunderland Seers was founded in 2018 – with a real foundation in grassroots esports, all about development and striving to be the best. With the resources now available to the Sunderland Seers from the National Esports Performance Campus, students can be benefit from the best-in-class hardware and a state-of-the-art performance environment.

For more information on Esports courses at Sunderland College, please visit the website: https://sunderlandcollege.ac.uk/courses/school-leaver/vocational-courses/vocational-course-subject-areas/esports/