Lambton College is teaming up with one of the top esports organizations on the continent.
A new partnership has been established with Tiidal Gaming Group Inc. to enhance the learning experience for students in the college's Esports Entrepreneurship & Administration program.
Program Coordinator Matthew Hutchinson said it's going to present a lot of opportunities for esports students.
"In terms of learning from a professional esports organization, to be given opportunities to work within the esports organization, and then also in terms of experiential learning opportunities within our program on the academic side, being able to work alongside a professional esports organization is just a great experience for the students," said Hutchinson. "[The partnership] means so many things: it's a really great partnership for our program, really great visibility with Tiidal being one of the foremost leaders in the industry, especially in Canada -- in terms of earnings last year, they ranked fifth in North America for professional esports."
Hutchinson said as part of the new collaboration, Tiidal will provide internships within Lazarus Esports, the company’s competitive gaming and content division, to five students enrolled in the program.
He said applicants will go through a hiring process, just like any other job opportunity.
"It's a rather rigorous process, we have already gone through it -- there are five students that are currently working with Lazarus Esports right now, in a number of different positions."
Hutchinson said the program has grown tremendously over a short period of time, saying it speaks to the growth of the entire esports industry.
"It's not really surprising to those within the gaming industry, that an academic program would catch and grow so quickly because the industry has been growing. But it's obviously, for Lambton College and for our local community, really exciting that we have a program that is gaining so much recognition, not only locally, regionally, but also nationally as well."
Hutchinson said they still have spots open in the program for the fall semester. For more information, click here.
