Student brands decision to study at NRC Newtownnabbey 'best ever'

Last month Holly Strutt was among the thousands of young people across Northern Ireland to receive A level and BTEC results.

With a triple Distinction* in her BTEC Level 3 Digital Games Development, which is a vocational course equivalent of three A*s at A level, she landed a job, funded by NI Screen as Trainee Production Co-ordinator at Humain – Digital Humans.

Humain create digital humans for leading entertainment and technology companies by combining anatomy with animation, coding and art to create accurate face and body rigs that result in realistic face and body rigs for the creative media industry.

Holly said: “I work closely with the Production Manager to support the Production Team and the R and D Team. My responsibilities involve efficiently

scheduling and co-ordinating the delivery of high-quality 3D character assets to our growing list of AAA video game developers.”

After GCSEs, Holly realised that sixth form and high school were not for her.

She explained: “The decision to study Digital Games Development at Northern Regional College’s Newtownabbey campus was the best one I could have made, both for my education and mental health.”

Although Holly had no previous experience in either game design or development, her abiding interest in video games prompted her to take a leap of faith in her own ability to succeed.

She added: “Northern Regional College and my remarkable lecturers shaped my journey into the world of digital game development. I couldn’t have wished for a better team to teach me the fundamentals of game development.

“The diversity of skill levels among my peers was such an enriching experience. While some of my classmates were already comfortable in Unity, C#, Blender, and Maya, others were newcomers like me but collaborative problem-solving was a significant part of our enjoyable learning environment, which was incredibly relaxed and comfortable.”

During her two years at the College, Holly completed a 10-week work placement with Whitenoise Studios in Belfast. She said the experience gained at Whitenoise helped secure her first job in the creative media sector.

The creative industries sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Screen recently announced an innovative partnership with NextGen Skills Academy, aimed at bolstering Games, Animation, and Visual Effects expertise in three Northern Ireland Further Education colleges.

Northern Regional College, Belfast Met and Southern Regional College have all introduced new creative media courses in conjunction with NextGen Skills Academy.

Each college will deliver a Level 3 vocational course aimed at school leavers who have a passion for games, animation and visual effects (VFX). Prospective applicants can access the course information via each college’s website.

The initiative, which highlights how FE colleges are responding to changing employer needs by ensuring people have the necessary skills for today’s rapidly changing business environment, will enable students to work on live industry projects, receive feedback from employers, and sharpen their skills to professional standards.

A number of new Level 2 creative media courses are also being offered this year at NRC, and it’s not too late to apply for September.

To apply and for further information on all full-time and part-time courses at the college visit www.nrc.ac.uk