SEGA, Ubisoft and Konami open their doors for local Digital Schoolhouse students in aid of the Discover! Creative Careers week which is taking place from 18 - 22 November 2019 to inspire young people and encourage them to pursue a career within the creative industries sector.
Discover! Creative Careers is a week-long event launching this year in England as part of the Creative Careers Programme - born from the special creative industries “sector deal” - which recognises the importance of the creative industries to the UK economy.
Hundreds of employers from across the creative industries are inviting young people aged 11-16 years to experience different careers pathways in the workplace to inspire and inform the next generation of workers. Our Schoolhouses will be engaging with these global businesses to learn about careers in the video games industry and to gain a real insight into the breadth of roles available as part of a diverse workforce. Here's why it's important:
- Evidence cited in the Government’s Careers Strategy reveals that a young person who has four or more encounters with an employer is 86% less likely to be unemployed or not in education or training and can earn up to 18% more during their career.
- The creative industries are growing at three times the rate of the rest of the economy and are worth more than that of aerospace, automotive, life sciences and oil and gas combined.
- In 2017, the creative industries contributed £101.5bn to the UK economy, that’s more than 5% of GDP and an increase of 53% since 2010.
- The creative economy employs over 3 million people - that’s 1 in 11 UK jobs.
- Creative jobs are less likely to be replaced by robots, with 87% of creative occupations at low or no risk of automation.
- There are urgent skills shortages, with the Creative Industries Council estimating that there are more than 77,000 positions in the sector currently vacant or requiring better skills.
Facts and figures from Creative Careers Programme, 2019
Schoolhouses including Langley Grammar, Shire Oak Academy, Townley Grammar, Prendergast Ladywell School, St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary, Millais School and Woking High School will be visiting local studios for an assortment of interactive activities and awe-inspiring talks from a cross-section of employees across multiple disciplines - vital for showcasing the multifaceted business and technical roles available in the creative space.
In addition to networking opportunities and hearing from individuals about their careers, students will also partake in some thought-provoking activities including: answering and presenting a creative brief, demoing a brand-new game and producing a launch plan, and finally, participating in a roundtable discussion.
Discover more about Digital Schoolhouse careers education here, including our annual esports tournament.
Shahneila Saeed, director of Digital Schoolhouse, said:
“At Digital Schoolhouse we embed careers education in everything we do. As a bridge between industry and education we’re keen to support and engage with opportunities such as the Discover! Creative Careers week, which does just that. In addition to the digital skills required in both business and technical roles within the creative sector, experiences like this enable students to gain a vital insight into real work environments which spotlight the importance of soft skills too. This is unique careers education and an exemplary opportunity for students and teachers alike, to understand possible pathways in the video games industry and perhaps uncover roles that they didn’t even know existed.”