From Mortal Kombat to Stoke College: Meet the FE teacher tackling the digital skills gap
Across the West Midlands, tech could add £2.7 billion to the regional economy over the next four years, but only if we tackle the digital skills shortage. Just over one in five businesses in the region feel their teams are fully equipped with digital skills, according to the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
In Staffordshire, demand is similarly rising fast, with digital job growth projected to reach 16% by 2030. Closing this gap is critical, and professionals like Anthony play a vital role in inspiring young people and showing that there’s a place for every interest in computing.
Anthony Tweedie, from Stoke-on-Trent, teaches Computer Science at Stoke College. After more than a decade in the tech industry - leading software development teams and launching digital products for local businesses, and most recently working as a Technical Artist on Mortal Kombat 1 for Atomhawk - Anthony made the move into FE teaching in 2022. Inspired by his experience creating tutorials, he is passionate about helping learners see how their interests can translate into real opportunities. By drawing on his industry experience, Anthony bridges the gap between theory and practice, giving students the skills and confidence they need to thrive in the workplace.
Anthony shares: “Teaching was always something I was interested in. While training for a career in the games industry, I started creating YouTube tutorials to help others learn Unreal Engine and discovered how much I enjoyed making complex topics accessible.
After three years working in games and software, I realised I wanted to use my experience to inspire and guide the next generation of designers and programmers. Moving into teaching in Further Education felt like the natural next step. It’s given me the chance to share my real-world insights from the IT industry; while helping young people build the skills and confidence they need to succeed in an evolving digital sector.
My college supported my career transition and made sure I had everything I needed to succeed as an FE teacher. If you’re passionate about shaping the future of technology in our region, now is the time to get involved. Your expertise could be the key to unlocking new opportunities for the next generation of digital talent in Staffordshire.”
FE is education for learners aged 16 and over who aren’t in school or studying for a degree. In settings such as colleges, FE offers diverse teaching opportunities across a range of technical, vocational and academic subjects to help prepare learners for work in their chosen field. In what is often a college-based setting, FE offers diverse teaching opportunities from hands-on workshops to classroom-based learning.
Raul Aghayev is in the first year of the Level 3 in Games Programming. He shares: “It was my dream to study the Games Design course, and I’ve found the course really enjoyable. Once I finish College I’d like to go to University then work as a Games Developer for one of the big gaming companies such as Epic Games, Evolve, EA or Rockstar.”
Irwin McNaught, in his second year of his T Level Digital Software Coding and Development, speaks of his recent placement at Overclockers UK: “I found the placement with Overclockers UK really useful. During the four weeks with them I worked on many different types of PCs. We got the opportunity to install software on multiple PCs at the same time, plus software testing and packaging. It helped me find out more about the internal workings of PCs. I’m looking to go into a career with software or cloud development once I completed my course.”
To find out more about how you could share your existing industry skills by teaching in further education and the next steps to take, visit gov.uk/teach-in-further-education.
