Leeds City College Games Course Achieves TIGA Accreditation

LONDON, Oct. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, is pleased to announce the accreditation of the following games course at Leeds City College (LCC):

• Level 3 BTEC in Creative Media Practice (Game Development) course.
  Accreditation - awarded

The Leeds City College Level 3 BTEC in Creative Media Practice (Game Development) course provides a two-year programme of study. There are 198 students currently on the course.  Students gain a broad range of game development skills including coding, graphics, sound, and design. Students work on both individual and team projects. Students gain important transferable soft skills such as resilience, communication and teamwork. On completion of the course, students typically continue on to a higher education course.

Destination data

Almost three quarters of students progress on to higher education courses after completing the Leeds City College course. Data from 2021 shows that:

• 72 per cent of students proceed to higher education after completing the course (53 per cent go to external higher education providers and 19 per cent study higher education courses at LCC). Most of these students will be studying game development courses.
• 9 per cent of students proceed to apprenticeships.
• 19 per cent of students go straight into employment.

The TIGA Accreditation Team noted the following examples of best practice:

• The ability to determine the precise content, and method of delivery, of the course has worked well for Leeds City College. The course teams have been able to draw on their experience, and advice from industry, to create exemplary learning opportunities. The current structure and delivery are resulting in excellent student outcomes.
• The Visual & Digital Arts department, which delivers the Game Development course, has been Graded as Outstanding against the Ofsted inspection framework for the previous 3 years.
• A mean average of 87 per cent of students expressed satisfaction with the course in 2021.
• Leeds City College's Games Development course has a good reputation for student achievement and retention, with figures approximately 10 per cent above the national benchmark.
• The College's 'Girls into Games Project' (2018 – 2020) has led to improvements in the gender balance of both staff and students. Over this period the number of female staff members delivering the course increased from 0 to 4. The percentage of girls on Games Development is 19 per cent and on Animation 35 per cent.
• The Sleepy Brain Studio (a staff owned and controlled games studio) offers staff an opportunity to hone their game development skills in an industry setting.
• The games course team has excellent links with industry.
• Leeds City College's Games Development course is regularly updated and reshaped to ensure that it meets the evolving needs of higher education and the games industry.
• The College has given excellent support to students, especially during disruption caused by the pandemic, by lending laptops to students to use at home.
• The College course is equipped with game development software and hardware to support its students.

Accreditation Team

The Accreditation Team from TIGA who reviewed the courses comprised:

• Dr Richard Wilson, OBE CEO TIGA
• Dr Mark Eyles, TIGA Educational Advisor
• Chris Kingsley OBE, CTO Rebellion
• Dr Peter Howell, University of Portsmouth
• Ted Turnbull, University of Portsmouth
• Adam Jerrett, University of Portsmouth

Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO, said:

"Leeds City College's Level 3 BTEC in Creative Media Practice (Game Development) course delivers skills that are relevant to the video games industry and equips students with transferable skills that are important for future employment. The course has excellent progression and satisfaction rates and prepares its students well for further study and employment. Congratulations to the staff and students of Leeds City College on the successful accreditation of your course."

Dr Mark Eyles, TIGA's Education Adviser, said:

"The outstanding teaching team at Leeds City College provides a rich, industry inspired learning experience. Students have opportunities to explore the many facets of game development in a supportive, professional environment. They identify areas they wish to specialize in, ready to move onto the next step in preparing for games industry careers."

Jas Ryatt, Deputy Head, Visual and Digital Arts, Leeds  City College, said:

"Our aim has always been to connect the dreams of our students with the realities of the Computer Games industry. TIGA accreditation is a brilliant opportunity to stay in dialogue with people who really understand the challenges facing our young people, and the opportunities available. TIGA accreditation will help us to ensure they are equipped with the skills, attitudes and experience to become a creative force in a world they already love."

About TIGA:

TIGA is the trade association for the UK video games industry.  Our vision is to make the UK the best place in the world to develop video games. Our core purpose is to strengthen the games development and digital publishing sector. To this end, we focus on four strategic objectives:

• influencing Government policy via effective political representation;
• raising the profile of our industry to influence public policy;
• enhancing education and skills through our accreditation programme (https://tiga.org/education/tiga-university-accreditation) and the TIGA Games Education Awards (https://tiga.org/education-awards); and
• promoting best practice through our membership services, including the TIGA STAR Employer Award (https://tiga.org/star), the TIGA Games Industry Awards (https://tiga.org/awards) and exclusive events for TIGA members.

For more information contact TIGA:
Tel: 0845 468 2330
Email: info@tiga.org 
Web: www.tiga.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tigamovement
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tiga