TIGA, the network for games developers and digital publishers and the trade association representing the games industry, today proposed that the proceeds of the Government’s new Training Levy should be available to fund a variety of good quality courses and not solely apprenticeships. TIGA made the recommendation following the publication of a new Report, Skills, Training and Learning 2016. The Report, whichis based on a snapshot survey of games development studios, showed that just 13 per cent of respondents supported the introduction of a Training Levy.
Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:
“The UK has a plethora of different industries with different skills and different qualifications requirements. A one size fits all training and qualifications policy is not in the interests of workers, businesses or the UK economy. In the games development sector the vast majority of training needs to be in the form of on-the-job training or short, bite sized courses. The best course of action would be to allow employers to have flexibility over how to spend the proceeds of the Training Levy. Employers would then be able to choose the right training programme to benefit their employees and their businesses.”
Jason Kingsley OBE, TIGA Chairman and Creative Director at Rebellion, said:
“Games development businesses mainly employ university-educated graduates. While some good quality apprenticeship programmes for the games industry may well be established, employers in the sector will almost certainly continue to look to higher education to provide them with the majority of the staff that they need. At present, in the video games industry, there is minimal tradition of apprenticeships and there seems to be a very limited appetite for them.”
Chris Kingsley, Co-founder & CTO, Rebellion and Chair of TIGA’s Education Committee, said:
“There’s no doubt that the UK video games industry is experiencing a shortage of skilled staff, and this is holding many businesses back. TIGA was the first to recognise this shortage and since then has been leading the charge to upskill UK games development. In a fiercely competitive global marketplace the key to running a successful modern business is agility and TIGA members have clearly spoken – the training levy needs to be flexible and fit for the industry’s needs. To compete we have to work smarter, and to level up skills we need a smarter levy.”
TIGA’s report includes the following additional key findings:
- 80 per cent of games businesses provide on the job training and 38 per cent provide formal training courses, both in-house and external, not leading to qualifications.
- Respondents to TIGA’s survey spent on average 4 per cent of their turnover on training and provided an average of 14 days training to members of their teams, which compares well to other industries: individuals in the UK who received training in 2013 on average benefited from 6.7 days of training (UKCES Employer Skills Survey 2013, p. 56).
- For 76 per cent of respondents to the TIGA survey, at least 71 per cent of their staff are qualified to at least first degree or the vocational equivalent.
- 83 per cent of the UK games studios surveyed recruit personnel qualified to at least degree level, and 35 per cent also recruit people qualified to MA, MSC and Phd level.[1]
- Over the last 12 months, 65 per cent of respondents experienced skills shortages.
- Of those respondents who experienced skills shortages over the last year, 92 per cent reported difficulties recruiting programmers, 50 per cent referred to problems recruiting production managers, 46 per cent cited challenges recruiting game and level designers, 42 per cent noted difficulties recruiting artists, 35 per cent had difficulties filling business roles, 31 per cent had difficulties filling marketing roles and 12 per cent had problems recruiting animators.
- Of those games businesses suffering from skills shortages, 90 per cent stated that this problem was caused by a shortage of applicants with the required skills, experience or qualifications.
- Of those games businesses that had experienced skills shortages over the last 12 months, 83 per cent reported that the impact had been to increase their existing staffs’ workload, 72 per cent said that it had caused delays in developing new games and 65 per cent stated that it had impeded the growth of their organisation.
- Of those games businesses that had experienced skills shortages over the previous 12 months, 83 per cent were trying new recruitment methods, 66 per cent had outsourced work and 60 per cent had resorted to internal promotions.
- On average, respondents to TIGA’s survey stated that 83 per cent of their staff are fully proficient at their jobs. This would seem to indicate that skills gaps are not particularly prevalent in games businesses.
- There is little appetite for a compulsory training levy to fund apprenticeships. 48 per cent of respondents to our survey opposed the idea and just 13 per cent supported the concept. 40 per cent did not know.
- 35 per cent of the respondents to TIGA’s survey said that the principal obstacle holding back their businesses was limited access to finance, 30 per cent suggested the challenge of discoverability while 23 per cent referred to skills shortages.
About TIGA
TIGA is a not for profit network for games developers and digital publishers and the trade association representing the video games industry. 80% of our board members are developers and/or from UK owned businesses, and 50% of our board are UK business owners themselves. Since 2010, TIGA has won 24 business awards and commendations, an achievement which demonstrates our drive to meet and to exceed best practice. TIGA focuses on three sets of activities:
· political representation;
· profile raising; and
· business services.
This means that TIGA members’ voices are heard in the corridors of power and positively represented in the international, national, regional and trade media. TIGA’s activities also serve to enhance the competitiveness of our members by providing benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities. Get in touch:
· Tel: 0845 468 2330
· Email: info@tiga.org
· Web: www.tiga.org
· Twitter: www.twitter.com/tigamovement
· Facebook: www.facebook.com/TIGAMovement
· LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/tiga
· Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, richard.wilson@tiga.org
[1] Respondents to our survey could select more than one option, hence percentages sometimes exceed 100 per cent.