British Esports locks in partnership with Leadership Skills Foundation

The British Esports Federation has announced a partnership with the non-profit educational organisation Leadership Skills Foundation.

As a result of the partnership, the two parties will collaborate to launch a set of esports leadership qualifications.

The Esports Leadership Programme from British Esports and the Leadership Skills Foundation will offer qualifications to young people aged 11 and over. According to a release, the qualifications will enable ‘young people to take their initial steps’ to embark on a career within the esports industry.

The Level 1 and Level 2 Qualification in Leadership Skills will launch in September 2024 and will be taught across a range of English educational settings including secondary schools, community groups and further education colleges.

Both qualifications aim to utilise the interest in esports and gaming among young people by teaching them essential skills to lead esports activities. For educational establishments, the qualifications provide an option to introduce activities where esports can be used to enhance the learning of students.

British Esports has continued to lead efforts to involve esports in the English teaching curriculum. In February 2024, it partnered with Tencent Games’ Level Infinite to highlight career opportunities and in March, the body launched Higher National BTEC Qualifications in collaboration with educational services company Pearson.

Kalam Neale, Head of Education at British Esports, spoke on the partnership: “We talk often about the transferable skills that esports offers, but there hasn’t been an opportunity for younger students to get recognition for those skills, that is until now.

“For the first time ever, those aged as young as 11 can now gain an industry-recognised qualification for the skills they develop through esports and esports leadership. This will enable more young people to take their first steps onto their esports career pathway at an earlier age.”