Gaming school opens at The Sharp Project
SWEDISH gaming school Playground Squad will train 60 apprentices a year at a new UK operation at The Sharp Project in east Manchester.
The business, which trains employees of games producers Sony PlayStation and Electronic Arts, will offer paid apprenticeships in game design, programming and art.
It has teamed up with the Manchester College, Manchester City Council, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce to offer the courses from a 2,500 sq ft office at the centre for creative and media businesses in Newton Heath.
The programme is being funded by the chamber through the Government’s Employer Ownership of Skills programme but the total cost was unavailable at the time of publication.
It follows last year’s arrival of 3D content producer EON Reality at nearby One Central Park where it is training 100 coding students a year.
Chief executive Magnus Bjorkman said: “The UK is the centre of game development in Europe so moving our model over here is a natural step for us. Manchester is a fast-growing, forward-looking city that has invested in developing its reputation as a global digital and creative hub.
“It is an exciting place to be and we are delighted to bring our specialist training to the city and reach out to the talented young people who live here. We want to mirror our success in Sweden and create jobs and employment in this growth sector here in the UK.”
Sharp Project director Sue Woodward said: “It’s fantastic to have persuaded Magnus to make Manchester the first overseas home for PlaygroundSquad. They were targeted as they are world leaders in gaming training. This is the final part of The Sharp Project jigsaw.
“Five years ago we planned to introduce a games facility to the building. It was always part of the plan, so it’s great to see it come to fruition. The Sharp Project is fast becoming a hub for gaming and skills associated with all kinds of creative digital content from network drama to forensics.”
The courses can be applied for through the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) website www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
