Controllers at the ready: Award-winning school to offer qualification in Esports

It has millions of participants around the globe and generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue every year – and now an award winning online school is helping young people to experience the excitement of Esports.

Minerva’s Virtual Academy is introducing a BTEC in what is one of the most exciting industries in the world.

Minerva will be the first online school ever to offer the BTEC, which was launched by Pearson and the British Esports Association in 2020. The course will run from September 2023 and will be available for students aged 16-18.

Lawrence Tubb, Headmaster at Minerva, said:

“The Esports industry has seen tremendous growth over the years, not only in terms of viewership, but also in terms of revenue and careers associated with the industry. Because Esports can reach so many people, many brands are investing heavily in marketing aimed at those audiences.

“Our course offers an incredible opportunity to start an amazing career in Esports. It will help pupils enhance the skills they already have and develop new ones, to help carve out a place in the future of the industry.” 

Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games usually in organised, multiplayer competitions between professional players. The most popular Esports games include League of Legends and Overwatch.

The course will cover everything from learning how the industry works, through marketing fundamentals and competitive play to how to manage teams and events. 

The BTEC covers four units:

• Introduction to Esports
• Esports Skills, Strategies and Analysis
• Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the Esports Industry
• Health, Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players

“By studying this course, students will be in an excellent position to apply for roles in the Esports industry when they graduate from Minerva’s Virtual Academy, but will also have gained an understanding of wider business and industry practices, and developed valuable transferable skills that will stand them in good stead for a wide variety of careers,” said Lawrence.

Minerva’s Virtual Academy is an award-winning online independent school for pupils aged 11 to 18. It has pupils from across the UK, as well as overseas.