Creative Assembly fund Teeside scholarships for ‘female, black, ethnic minority and disadvantaged students’

Creative Assembly and Teesside University have today announced a new scheme to assist disadvantaged and minority students looking to enter the games industry. 

The Creative Assembly Legacy Scholarship will accept two students each year from a wide range of disadvantaged backgrounds. Applicants will be eligible if they come from a household income below £25,000 a year and/or identify as female and/or Black ethnic minority. 

Two scholarships will be available, amounting to £9,000 a piece. 

Those supported by the scholarship will also receive mentorship and guidance from developers at Creative Assembly. Applications are now open and applicants will be considered by a panel at Teesside University. 

Emma Smith, Head of Talent at Creative Assembly said; “We want to contribute to long-lasting change in the games industry; to bring more diverse voices into development teams and boardrooms. Our award-winning education work benefits students across the lifespan of their studies and this scholarship represents the next step at giving potentially disadvantaged students a real chance to fulfil their potential.

“Social mobility and diversity are so interwoven that we need to look at a range of factors that act as barriers to higher education, and therefore potential industry careers. We believe that careers in the games industry should be accessible to everyone no matter socio-economic status, gender or ethnicity.”

Siobhan Fenton, Associate Dean (Enterprise and Business Engagement) in Teesside University’s School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, said: “Creative Assembly has been involved with several modules on our computer games degrees this year providing feedback sessions and specialist industry talks which have been greatly received by our students.

“One of our joint aims was to explore ways to encourage more under-represented groups into the games industry and to have this scholarship available is a fantastic endorsement of our commitment to widening participation. There should be no barriers to a career in the games industry and we are looking forward to helping students from under-represented groups reach their ambitions.”