Posted on: 11/10/11
Minister for Culture Communications and Creative Industries Ed Vaizey talked about the e skills UK ‘Behind the Screen’ project last night on BBC Newsnight, as part of a wide ranging interview prompted by the Livingstone Hope Report into the skills required in the gaming industry.
Mr. Vaizey mentioned the Government’s review of the curriculum and highlighted e-skills UK’s work which involves 20 schools, 100 students and a cohort of teachers who have volunteered to participate.
The work is led by a partnership of employers right across the economy, including IBM, the BBC, Blitz Games, Capgemini, Cisco, Deloitte, HP, John Lewis, Logica, the Metropolitan Police Service, Microsoft, National Grid, Procter & Gamble, Sainsbury’s, SAS, Steria and TATA. Employers recognise that whilst students are avid users of technology, from mobile phones to gaming, they all too rarely stop to think what goes on ‘Behind the Screen’. There is little in the current school curriculum to develop that knowledge and understanding.
The intention of the project is to develop a brand new academic curriculum – including rigorously assessed GCSEs and A-levels - which is highly regarded by leading universities and employers, and which is highly attractive to students and teachers. This new model of academic / industry partnership will enable young people to develop the scientific understanding, the problem solving capability and the creative flair to keep the UK at the forefront of a technology-enabled world.
Philip Oliver, CEO Blitz Games said:
"At Blitz Games, we are excited to be working on this project with e-skills UK. We want students to understand the principles of computing and be able to unlock the potential of technology. The success of the computer games industry depends on our ability to innovate and create new, compelling technology-enabled experiences. We need more young people with the technical and creative capability to achieve this."
For updates on the programme, go to www.e-skills.com/behindthescreen.
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