Ubisoft unveils Scholarship for Black students in the UK

For Black students interested in computer science and soon preparing to head off to University, a surprise announcement from gaming publisher Ubisoft may turn heads toward Newcastle. This is because they have announced the launch of a new scholarship which will see two black studying computer Science at Newcastle University eligible for a three-year programme of support from Universities prestigious school of computing, in 2021.

Students will receive a yearly bursary of £11,250 which will go towards fees and living expenses. This isn't all however, as the chosen students will not only receive mentorship from Ubisoft develops but will also undertake three month paid internships at Ubisoft Reflections at the end of their time.

We've published several articles over the last months of the challenges which face prospective black employees in tech. The Head of Newcastle University's School of Computing Professor John Fitzgerald seems to recognize this admitting that "a lack of diverse workforces in the science and technology sectors is a challenge".

In a statement accompanying that announcement, he added: "This Ubisoft Scholarship for Black UK Students is another step forward in attracting the best students from underrepresented backgrounds to Newcastle and we commend our partners at Ubisoft for taking action. In the School of Computing, we are all committed to making this initiative a huge success, and ensuring it has a wide-ranging impact on the lives of the students who will benefit from it."

There was a further reflection on the significance of the announcement from Giselle Stewart, Director of UK Corporate Affairs. She said:

"Over the last few years we've been proud to support educational programmes in the UK, such as Digital Schoolhouse as well as BAFTA's Young Games Designers scheme. This year, we wanted to go one step further and tackle an area where we can truly make a meaningful difference to diversify the UK games industry. A combination of financial support in a top-ranking university and paid, work-based experience should give these students the very best chance at securing a career in the industry."

The announcement came at the first-ever UK Black Game Pros Mixer event and is said to have been inspired by the work Stormzy's #Merky foundation. Stormzy was featured in one of Ubisoft’s recent releases, Watch Dogs: Legion.

It remains to be seen whether other publishers will follow this example or whether other Universities even have the willingness to match the scheme on offer. Similar schemes applied by the likes of BioWare, Activision or even CDPR (who admittedly have more important things to worry about right now) would be great to see. At the very least, everyone will hope to see the scope of the existing programme expand as the Black crusade in the world of tech rolls on.

Applicants must have applied to study by the UCAS deadline of 15th January 2021 and received an offer to study on an undergraduate Computer Science programme to commence in September 2021.

If you're a black student interested in the opportunity, apply here.

Mayowa Ayodele

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