Working with experts

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By integrating Minecraft and Skills Miner we proved that it was possible to reach young people while complementing existing learning and careers programmes.

But we have really been on a journey of discovery, trialing different approaches and learning from what young people and schools have told us. For example, while the game is aimed at young people aged 12 to 14, we know that players as young as nine and as old as 16 have enjoyed the games.  

And so, we set out to develop more games, but this time we knew we needed to delve into the world of school curriculum and STEM targets, and so we decided all our future games would be accompanied by lesson plans for teachers so that the games could be integrated into everyday teaching.

We built our next four games in the education edition with a focus on aerospace.

Expert input

To make sure what we developed was relevant and reflected what happens on the ground (like what we did there?), we brought in experts from leading businesses throughout aerospace who also believed in what we were doing.

They gave generously of their time and expertise so we could understand future skills needs; emerging technologies; forecasted future careers, and the learning required for young people to pursue rewarding careers in industry.

As a true collaborator and a force for good, Enginuity partnered with education specialists to ensure our games are built in line with the English curriculum and Gatsby benchmarks, and we are currently in talks with Welsh Government to ensure that we can align with the Welsh curriculum and language requirements.

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Next steps

As we progressed on our journey, we changed the way we build and release games, moving from using the Java/Bedrock edition of Minecraft into the Education edition.

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Benefits of using the Education Edition of Minecraft in schools include:

• It brings learning to life because its built for education.
• Supports teachers through the creation of videos and lesson plans providing opportunities to talk about everything from material properties to career pathways.
• Zero cost barrier therefore highly inclusive. (lots of schools can have Education Edition licenses free of charge)
• Ability to connect schools and local employers in the long term.