by Fnatic has made public the creation of a college partner program. The UK-first program looks to support students who aim to pursue a career in gaming.
The European esports organization took to its official Twitter page to announce the launch of the program. The program will available in the three partner colleges across the UK, namely Queen Mary’s College and Havant, South Downs College, and Access Creative College. The program will commence at the start of a new school calendar, in September 2022.
The partnership will include curriculum-driven webinars hosted by Fnatic staff, industry access, and partner discounts on Fnatic gears. Along with the program is the Pearson Esports BTEC, which entails practically learning-focused qualifications in the UK for students of the high school age.
The Esports BTEC is currently being studied by about 2,000 students in 70 institutions across the UK. The course covers esports typically as a pathway for inculcating some key skills to the students other than as a subject.
Esports Director at Queen Mary’s College and National Trainer for Pearson, James Fraser-Murison commented on the partner program with Fnatic. He described the partnership as a huge opportunity for the esports students and also the college, as it provides a closer look into the industry. He shared his excitement to commence the program and goes on to list the many benefits it would have to the esports teaching scene.
“This is huge for our esports students and also the college,” Fraser-Murison started. “To partner up with the biggest esports organization in the UK, will mean we are directly giving our esports students a step-up into the industry with first-hand experiences and careers advice and opportunities from a global brand.
“Their business and educational understanding will also directly link to our teaching of the esports BTEC and also create work experience opportunities within our partnership. As the leading provider of esports teaching in the UK, this type of partnership is key to keeping QMC at the forefront of esports teaching and making sure we can provide industry-specific portfolios for the largest industry in the world. We can’t wait to get started,” he ended.
As part of the program, Fnatic will offer the students industry insights and reveal to them the various roles eminent in the esports industry. Asides from the presence of guest lecturers and high-tech equipment in the colleges, it will also include the organization of networking events.
The franchise also looks to offer exclusive access to host tournaments, discounted, events, and the provision of tournament prizes. These updates will be made available via the brand’s dedicated Discord server.
The press release contained the brand’s aim in developing the program, the franchise shared that it looks to support the younger generation as much as it can. It also read that the organization will provide students with real-world experiences and networking opportunities. The program is also hinged on supporting the partner colleges.
Fnatic has a good crop of talent (teams) competing in various esports titles including (but not limited to), Valorant, Leagues of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and Rainbow Six: Siege amongst others. The franchise also has an academy (Fnatic Rising) that competes in LoL and CS: GO.
