We are very proud to congratulate Marcia Deakin, Co-Founder of NextGen Skills Academy, for winning the Educational Impact Award at the recent MCV/Develop Women in Games Awards!
This well-deserved recognition highlights Marcia’s dedication to shaping the future of the creative industries, developing new industry-directed training and curricula, and mentorship of young creatives. This has included working with Ubisoft and Sunderland University to develop the Level 7 Community Manager Apprenticeship Standard, the first apprenticeship designed specifically for the games industry. She also develops and delivers innovative curriculum for bootcamps, such as those with Warner Bros Discovery Access X Rocksteady, Game Republic, and others.
Throughout everything she does her commitment to opening new opportunities for underrepresented groups to discover and be inspired to work in games shines through. This is best exemplified by the short-course she created and continues to deliver for The Prince’s Trust, Get Started in Games Design in Liverpool and London. This course, which is supported by PlayStation, gives young people who are not in employment/training an introduction to the games industry, with a series of team practical tasks, information, industry masterclasses, networking, and confidence building. She is especially proud of being able to take this into HMP ISIS to work with young offenders.
Marcia said of the award:
“I’m truly honoured to have been shortlisted amongst so many inspirational women, and to receive the Educational Impact Award at the MCV/Develop Women in Games Awards. It’s a privilege to work alongside such talented individuals in the industry and to help shape the future for the next generation of creatives. My passion has always been to ensure that education is not only industry-relevant but accessible to everyone, regardless of their background. I’m proud of the work we’ve done to create pathways for underrepresented groups, and I’m excited to continue pushing for more inclusivity and diversity in this incredible sector.”
We couldn’t be prouder to see Marcia recognised for her contributions in inspiring others and creating new pathways to make the industry more inclusive. Congratulations again!