Esports (BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma) — Full-time

This course is aimed at you if you want to progress to employment in the esports industry, possibly via an apprenticeship, or who may aspire to enter higher education.

The qualification is endorsed by the British Esports Association as being suitable for people that want to work in this industry. This means that it will be recognised by employers and will support entry into the industry in a range of roles.

This qualification will offer you the opportunity to progress to a broad range of higher education programmes, including bachelor’s degrees.

It is equivalent in size to three A Levels and is designed to be taken on its own as a two-year, full-time study programme.

This is a career-focused qualification with industry endorsement that will enable you to learn underpinning knowledge, develop technical and transferable skills, and gain experience in a variety of different sections of the esports industry.

You will study five mandatory units:

• Unit 1: Introduction to Esports
• Unit 2: Esports Skills, Strategies and Analysis
• Unit 3: Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the Esports Industry
• Unit 4: Health, Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players
• Unit 5: Esports Events

The mandatory content will allow you to develop your technical skills across the different unit areas, supported by underpinning knowledge, and provides the opportunity for you to relate these to the esports industry.

You will also study an extra 10 units up to a total of 600 guided learning hours. These units are intended to give breadth of choice for you to gain depth in a range of units across the esports areas of employment, such as sport, media, IT and business enterprise, in addition to those learned in the mandatory units.

Examples of this units you may study include:

• Live-streamed Broadcasting
• Producing an Esports Brand
• Business Applications of Esports in Social Media
• Shoutcasting
• Esports Coaching
• Psychology for Esports Performance
• Nutrition for Esports Performance
• Ethical and Current Issues in Esports
• Corporate Social Responsibility in Sport
• Sports and Esports Law and Legislation
• Launching Your Esports Enterprise
• Customer Immersion Experiences
• Computer Networking
• Video Production
• Games Design

You can expect:

Esports-specific topics:

You'll delve into the world of esports, learning about its history, culture, different games and genres, competitive formats, and even the skills needed to play at a high level. This might include units on esports strategies, analysis, shoutcasting, and event management.

Broader industry skills:

The course will also equip you with transferable skills relevant to the wider game and media industry, like marketing, entrepreneurship, live-streamed broadcasting, video production, and even health and well-being for esports players.

Practical experience:

Many BTEC courses emphasize practical learning through projects, assignments, and even work placements within the esports industry. This helps you apply your knowledge and gain real-world experience.

Career preparation:

By learning esports-specific skills and broader industry knowledge, you'll be prepared for various career paths within the growing esports industry, such as event management, broadcasting, marketing, content creation, and even professional gaming.

Transferable skills:

Even if you don't end up working directly in esports, the transferable skills you gain, like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and digital literacy, are valuable in any career.

Passion-driven learning:

If you're passionate about esports, this course can be a fun and engaging way to learn and deepen your knowledge while developing valuable skills.