Unreal Engine (Pilot) Training for the Neurodivergent. Sponsored by Epic Games.
iLabAfrica offers a unique training program for young Neurodivergent adults and others with other learning disabilities and seeks to equip them with IT skills with hopes to make a significant contribution towards solving the problem of access to meaningful employment opportunities by offering a 4-month intensive training on IT skills, Software testing, Java programming, Microsoft Office Suite training, Game development, Mobile development, soft skills training among other areas.
Ludique Works has been providing capacity building and training to various youth across the continent for the past 5+ years to prepare them for the Future of Work, majorly so with Video Game Development Skills.
Through a partnership with Strathmore University’s , iLabAfrica, Ludique Works was able to train 16 young Autistic adults who had completed the Advanced Tech training, with Video game development skills using Unreal Engine over a month. The training was made possible through the able sponsorship of Epic Games.
This is the first of its kind program on the African continent seeking to empower the neurodivergent community with video game development skills so as to enable them become socially and financially independent.
The aim of the pilot program (1 Month) was to create an environment whereby the young adults can be trained with the basics of video game development with the aim to reach them to an advanced level so as to ensure they can be employed, also taking into consideration their areas of strength.
The program seeks to harness the strengths of people with learning disabilities; which include attention to detail, precision, an affinity for repetitive tasks, outstanding technology skills.
The quality of their project assignments was astounding!
Thanks to the financial support of Nextstep Foundation, we were able to have a special needs expert for the entire duration of the program, working alongside the trainer and the Ludique Works team to ensure that the students had a smooth running during the course.
With the right support system, training materials and guidance, the Autistic young adults were able to adjust and pick up the skills and delivered on the various daily assignments given.
Thanks to the team at Epic Games who supported us from the onset to enable us make the pilot program a success: Shruti Verma, Anjana Tirkey, and Saishree Ashwin.
We welcome support from organisations that are keen to support this program as we plan to advance the young adults so that we can enable more inclusion and diversity of these amazing young talent into the workforce. You can write to us as at: douglas(@)ludique(.)works
LudiqueWorks is a Pan-African video game publishing and video game development company based out of Africa. With a network of 150+ studios in 30 countries across Africa.
LudiqueWorks invests in nascent video game development studios on the continent through training and funding, as well as building a growing video gaming community through the Africa Game Developers network.
For more information, Follow Us: Twitter, Facebook & reach us via email on: info@ludique.works
