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The UK needs to invest in talent and reform the teaching of ICT and Computer Science in schools to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of the video games industry, creative industries minister Ed Vaizey has said.
As part of the Government’s response to the Next Gen skills campaign and Livingstone-Hope report, Vaizey said that the economic and cultural value of the industry means it cannot be ignored in the long term.
“The economic and cultural value of the UK’s video games and VFX sectors is clear and the long-term potential of their global markets present a great opportunity for UK-based businesses,” he said.
“It is an industry that has real potential to create the high quality jobs of the future that will be so important as we recover from the recession.
“We need to invest in talent that will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of games creativity.”
The Government focus on skills development report states that through curriculum and exam reforms the Government will look to pave the way for the sector to helps schools offer pupils a “rigorous” grounding in computer science.
The report, published today, addresses each of the recommendations made in the Next Gen report release earlier this year, which stated how the UK needs to invest in skills to realise the full potential of the digital and creative industries.
The full response and summary to February’s skills review can be found here.
It is hoped that if sweeping changes are made, the UK industry will not fall further behind and in future become a leading talent hub for video games and visual effects.
