If you enjoy gaming and Esports, and would like to be employed in the industry, the new BTEC qualifications, at levels 2 and 3, could be a great stepping stone for you.

Esports are exciting, team-based activities that often engage many young people who wouldn’t take part in traditional team activities such as sport, music or drama. Esports can promote leadership and communication skills, teamwork and problem-solving skills, increase reaction times, dexterity and concentration, and improve resilience through losing, as well as winning, games. And that’s not to mention the cyber and digital skills they can help develop.

This rapidly-growing industry offers a number of jobs and career pathways, ranging from production crew and hosts (or Shoutcasters), to designers and content creators, through to the more traditional events, sales, marketing and business management skills. You could even be a professional esports player!

The new BTEC qualifications cover Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Health, Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players, Live-streamed Broadcasting, Video Production and Games Design.

What specific skills can the Esports BTEC give you? IT skills are the obvious one: you will be confident about finding your way around a game and your PC. You will have quick reactions, be good at looking at things in detail and you’ll be determined to succeed.

All businesses need these skills, so your gaming hobby already gives you skills transferable to the world of work. It is important to remember that businesses, including Esports businesses, also need their staff to have great personal and communication skills too. Spending too much time attached to a screen or console can mean you neglect them, but remember you’ll need to be as comfortable with ‘face-to-face’ communication and presentation as you are in the cyber world.

The Esports BTEC qualifications are a great example of the changing labour market and how there are new roles within new industries that you may not have realised.