New academy pushes all the right buttons

YOUNG PEOPLE SET TO BENEFIT AS DIGITAL AGE LANDS IN REGION

Youngsters currently shooting for World Cup glory on the PS3’s FIFA 2010 or battling for victory on the Xbox’s Call of Duty are being given the opportunity to turn their hobby into a career. A new Digital Academy, launched this week (June 16 and 17) by Gateshead College, is set to create career opportunities for hundreds of young people in the North East and bridge the skills gap of one of the fastest growing industries in the region. The new academy will open doors to careers in the digital creative industries sector, which includes games design, 3D modelling and animation. The digital age has landed in the North East and is growing in the region faster than any other area of the country. Nearly 10 percent of the UK games development jobs are based in the region. During the launch school pupils from across the region took part in demo workshops where they got to try their hand at 3D animation, digital graphics for computer games and digital DJ and VJ. Gateshead College has launched the Digital Academy to give people in the region the knowledge and skills needed to enjoy a successful career in games design and other digitally creative roles. Tim Poolan, heading up the Digital Academy at Gateshead College, said: “Gateshead is set to become the hub of digital creative industries in the UK. We are launching this new Digital Academy to harness the skills of our students to enable them to be successful in the industry and to ensure it continues to grow and develop in the region. “The academy will support Gateshead’s existing software and games development companies by listening to their needs and creating training programmes that deliver the necessary skills.” The academy will also work closely with Codeworks and local digital businesses to shape training to ensure it meets their needs. The launch of the Digital Academy coincides with Gateshead’s Digital Summer festival which celebrates all things digital in the borough. Anne Britton, Head of Economic Development at Gateshead Council commented: “Gateshead Digital Summer showcases our commitment to encouraging creative digital businesses to locate in Gateshead. The new courses at Gateshead College will ensure local people have the right skills for the new jobs that will be created. “These industries require highly skilled professionals. A talented local workforce will firmly put Gateshead on the map as the place for digital business to locate and prosper.” Based at the college’s £39 million Baltic Campus, the Digital Academy is at the heart of Gateshead’s up and coming Creative Quarter. State of the art facilities are combined with cutting edge subject knowledge to offer training opportunities in areas such as games development, digital music technology, film and TV production and creative web design. Years 8, 9 and 10 from The Thomas Hepburn Community School, Kingsmeadow Community Comprehensive School, Lord Lawson of Beamish Community School and St Hild’s Church of England School in Hartlepool took part in the demo workshops. Ry Kerridge, 13, is a student at The Thomas Hepburn Community School. He said: “The Digital Academy workshops were really interesting. It’s exciting to think that there’s training in Gateshead that can lead to such a cool career.” Students will benefit from training using the latest industry equipment and advanced software programs including AfterEffects, Flash, Photoshop, Avid, Final Cut Pro, 3DS Max, Lightwave, Maya and Z Brush. Mrs Barker, head teacher at The Thomas Hepburn Community School, said: “We are always looking for opportunities to enable our students to experience and learn different skills to help them to decide what they would like to do after leaving school. “The Digital Academy at Gateshead College is a fantastic initiative for the many young people interested in a career in the digital industries.” ENDS