The Next Gen organisation have released information stating that Kim Blake will be undertaking the role of Next-Gen Talent Development Co-ordinator.
Funded by the Games trade body Ukie and Creative Skillset, Next Gen is an initiative by the UK government to ensure that the country is not left behind in the video game and visual effect industries.
Kim Blake brings a fair amount of experience to Next Gen, having worked at four different games companies; Headfirst Productions, Argonaut Sheffield, Gremlin Interactive and most recently, Blitz Game Studios. Kim is “incredibly excited to have been given the opportunity to work… on the development and promotion of next gen skills.”
Ukie CEO Dr Jo Twist is “delighted to have Kim on board” and feels that Kim’s “proven record in championing the industry and working with education” will be a great boon to the UK games and interactive entertainment industries. Ian Livingstone, Vice Chair for Ukie, shares these positive sentiments and believes that Kim will be able to “work with schools, colleges and universities to further promote… skills vital for students hoping to have a career in the game industry.
In order to further boost the UK games sector, the government has also announced that Computer Science will be included as a science option in the English Baccalaureate. Ian Livingstone feels that the government’s decision is a “huge victory for the Next Gen skills campaign and [its] partners.” Creative Skillset Deputy Chief Executive Kate O’Connor is also “delighted that Computer Science has been recognised as a discipline in its own right”.
She is positive that the partnership with Ukie will lead to a countrywide increase in the “status and takeup of the subject” which will in turn produce the “highly skilled work force that [the UK game industry] needs to continue to grow.”
