Know a young adult considering a post-secondary education that could lead them to a career in game design, development, or something in a similar field?
The Ontario government has announced it will offer a new scholarship to help them pay tuition.
Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop called it a growing industry in Ontario.
“As the first province in Canada to recognize the educational value of esports design and development in this way, we will support students who are building skills that can lead to discoveries, innovation, training opportunities and economic benefits for Ontario,” she said at Sheridan College in Toronto on Friday.
The province is investing $1-million over two years in its e-sports scholarship. The first scholarships will be awarded this fall through publicly-assisted colleges and universities.
“Talent is the resource that makes Canada’s video game industry a world leader,” said President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada Jayson Hilchie. “The employment opportunities offered by our industry are lucrative and innovative, with skill sets that are transferable across a host of other industries.”
He said the e-sports industry supports over 55,000 full-time jobs across Canada, including computer scientists, software engineers and developers, data scientists and marketing professionals.
Ontario has the most video gaming companies in Canada, with 298.
