October 2024 Esports update

Registrations are now open for the 2024-2025 tournaments.

The 2024 Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Summit takes place in Sunderland at City Hall.  The theme this year is 'educating'.

This article emphasizes the benefits of teamwork, collaboration and confidence building.

Catch up on the latest education news from British Esports

Why are education institutions investing in esports facilities?

The 2024 centre standardisation materials ask you to consider learner work from Unit 1.

Nik Turner has written this guide to help you get started in delivering a BTEC qualification in Esports.

Pearson and the British Esports Federation have launched the first Internationally recognised Higher National BTEC Qualifications in Esports at Level 4 and Level 5.

The Level 4 Higher National Certificate (HNC, equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree) and the Level 5 Higher National Diploma (HND, equivalent to the second year of an undergraduate degree) offer students a clear progression pathway into the esports industry or wider creative industries.

International centres have already begun delivering these qualifications, with the UK set to begin delivery from September 2024.

The Esports Leadership Programme offers the first-ever esports qualifications tailored for individuals aged 11 and above.

The grade statistics for BTEC qualifications are published in late October/early November on the grade statistics page of the website.

These statistics can be used for benchmarking purposes. Please note that in line with all qualifications, learner achievement is reported at qualification level and not at unit level.

Multi factor authentication was rolled out to nearly a quarter of a million Pearson Portal users last year. Although it has now become a standard way of accessing our systems, it can sometimes present challenges if a smart device is lost or replaced.

You can read more information, see a quick start guide and access FAQs and troubleshooting for our authenticator app in our Pearson Portal Authenticator support article.

Coleg Cambria has opened a new esports facility.

An academic at the University of Chichester has been working on how a classification system might look.

Queen’s University Belfast has opened a new esports and gaming hub.

The National Esports Performance Campus (NEPC) is a multi-site entertainment and education complex located in Sunderland.

NEPC is the home of British Esports and provides access to state-of-the-art equipment, training, and investment.  The facility offers luxury accommodation for esports bootcamps, providing a comfortable and focused environment for players.  The campus boasts cutting-edge technology, including a 100-seater esports arena, training rooms, and broadcast facilities.

Launch of Skills England

The Prime Minister and Education Secretary have announced the launch of Skills England. This new organisation will bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions, providing strategic oversight of the post-16 skills system aligned to the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Skills England will be established in phases over the next 9-12 months to create a responsive and collaborative skills system and the Skills England Bill will transfer functions from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to Skills England.

Richard Pennycook CBE, former chief executive of the Co-operative Group and lead non-executive director at the DfE, has been appointed as the interim Chair.

Funding - England

Funding - Northern Ireland and Wales 

The current level 3 reforms for post 16 education in England mean that the BTEC Esports suite of qualifications is due to be defunded in July 2026. We have worked closely with our partner, British Esports Federation and government organisations to understand what reformed qualifications could be developed to support the growing esports industry in the UK, and therefore the growing demand for education, giving suitable progression for learners into this industry.

Pearson have the only esports qualifications available at level 3, but these changes will apply to ALL awarding organisations from September 2026.

You can confidently recruit learners on the BTEC L2 and L3 for the academic years 24/25 and 25/26, learners registered before the 31 July 2026 will be funded for their chosen qualification.

To develop qualifications to be funded from August 2026, qualifications need to meet specific funding criteria and subject areas, which currently, esports does not meet.

We are working in partnership with the British Esports Federation, to work through the L3 and L2 reforms around esports, to give the best possible opportunities for learners.

If you would like to attend a briefing to hear more about future delivery options, please complete this form for us to invite you.

Although very early in the reforms programme, we do have two new pages where new AAQ and technical qualifications will be featured.