£500 training payout for all Scottish devs

Game developers based in Scotland are being offered as much as £500 in bursary funds if they sign up to a skills development course.

The new deal is part of broad plans to bolster Scotland’s game development credentials on the global stage.

Skillset Scotland has £40,000 at its disposal, and each of its grants can aid developers with as much as 50% of combined travel, accommodation and training fees.

Freelance developers, meanwhile, are eligible for £800 in training funds.

“We want to make sure that Scotland’s priority screen industries, [game , TV, film, animation], are in a very strong position to compete in the global marketplace,” said Skillset Scotland director Alasdair Smith.

“It is essential that we provide the immense talent we have with the tools to develop and show the world that Scotland is a force to be reckoned with in the world of film, TV, animation, computer games and interactive media,” he added.

The payout scheme is eligible for Scottish residents with two years’ professional games industry experience. Those applying for the grant will need to have already been accepted onto a relevant training course.

Application deadline is February 26, 2010. Go here to apply.