The 2024 instalment of Scottish Games Education Symposium (SGES) has been announced, taking place on November 27th and sponsored and hosted by West College Scotland at its Paisley campus.

This year, the symposium will bring together educators from colleges and universities across Scotland with industry leaders to explore key questions shaping the future of games education, skills, and careers in the Scots games ecosystem.

The event will look at the essential skills required for students to successfully enter the industry, and explore how educational institutions can collaborate with industry partners to develop these skills more effectively.

The key themes for SGE24 are:

• Bridging the Gap: Examining the alignment between education curriculum and industry requirements.
• Industry Insights: Hearing directly from industry professionals about the skills they value in new graduates and the roles they will need to fill in the next five-to-ten years.
• Innovative Pedagogies: Exploring cutting-edge teaching methods and technologies to enhance student learning and workplace experience.
• Collaboration and Partnerships: Discussing opportunities for greater and more creative collaboration between educators, academia and industry.

Speaking on the symposium and the upcoming instalment, Amanda Ford, who is a lecturer at West College Scotland and founder of the Scottish Games Education Network (SGEN), said: “The Education Symposium has been a brilliant way to bring together the colleges and universities which offer games courses, share notes and have the conversations that don’t happen anywhere else. This year we’re moving the conversation forward and bringing in the industry leaders and employers and asking them very simply: what is it they need from us?

“I’m thrilled to host the Education Symposium in Paisley and look forward to welcoming educators and industry professionals to work together for a brighter future for our students.”

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Brian Baglow, the founder and director of the Scottish Games Network (SGN), who in collaboration with SGEN co-produce the symposium, said: “The Scottish Games Education Symposium is a unique forum which brings together all of the educators and stakeholders involved in delivering games-related skills across Scotland and the UK.

“Our previous events allowed educators to discuss goals, collaborate with colleagues and build networks from college to university and beyond. In 2024, we are opening this up to the games industry to enable frank and facilitated discussions around the industry’s needs – and expectations – and how we build a more effective education pipeline for the entire games ecosystem in Scotland.”

Applications to attend the invite-only symposium can be made here.