NCsoft Europe Sponsors First UK Game Apprenticeship

Officials from NCsoft Europe, subsidiary of the Korean massively multiplayer online publisher, have announced announce plans to pilot the first computer games apprenticeship course in the UK, in conjunction with City College in Brighton, PartnerTrans and Skillset. The apprenticeship will be in quality assurance and games production, with a focus on games testing and improving the general gaming experience for players. City College claim the apprenticeship was developed in response to industry demands for more practical skills. The apprenticeship was organised by the industry and government founded organization Skillset. Chris Chilton, computer games & animation manager at Skillset, said: “Skillset’s Apprenticeship in QA and Games Production is a key part of the computer games industry’s skills strategy. It offers a structured entry point outside of the games industry’s traditional academic routes. The apprenticeship is led and delivered by the games industry, with the trainee spending the majority of the time with a company being mentored by an experienced practitioner.” Four trainees have been enrolled into the program and three have begun work in the QA team at NCsoft in Brighton, as part of a yearlong work placement supplement by regular college training. The apprenticeship will ultimately lead to a level 2 qualification. Sam Watts, QA manager at NCsoft Europe commented: "Being involved in the shaping of the future Apprenticeship and mentoring the candidates allows me to pass my experience on to potential future full-time employees; or just be happy in the knowledge that they are able to gain employment elsewhere with a sound understanding of the fast-paced games industry."