Source: Own illustration
Our apprentice, Yasin Kalem, who has already given us an insight into DiMa apprenticeship in the past, was able to complete an internship abroad in Malta as part of the apprenticeship and Erasmus+ program. He spent a total of five weeks on the Maltese islands, where he worked as a “Business Development Manager” at the esports academy “Level Academy Malta”.
He has summarized everything he experienced there for us.
Level Academy Malta
Malta’s first esports academy has set itself the task of teaching values through video games. It primarily targets children and young adults, who are taught social and personal values through video games, such as identifying their own goals. This can lead to the discovery of esports talent and the subsequent promotion of this talent. Thus, in addition to the development of the “gamer” and the esports athlete, the personal/human component is also promoted.
Yasin compares their thinking to playing soccer: Not everyone who likes to play soccer and goes to training will or wants to become a professional athlete. However, they “unconsciously” enjoy the benefits of the sport, such as physical fitness or teamwork skills. This is also the case in the academy.
The most important goals are developed, but fun is not left out. The educational mission is carried out by qualified instructors. One teacher is Joseph Facciol, one of the best Tekken players worldwide.
Tasks in Everyday Working Life
His main task was in the area of marketing. This included planning, creating, editing and posting content and managing the external image.
He was even able to use the knowledge and skills he had already acquired during his apprenticeship by providing IT support and carrying out dialog marketing. Dialog marketing includes, for example, contacting German companies such as the esports department of Eintracht Frankfurt and trying to initiate a collaboration.
Another task was to supervise the InsideOut vacation games, where child and youth care also took place.
With the help of various AI tools, he was also able to organize a marketing campaign for the “Afterschool” program. This included creating a content calendar, writing articles and creating graphics.
Of course, this also included the obligatory video games, including losing.
Leisure Time in the Country
Source: Own illustration
But it wasn’t just work that was on his agenda, but also discovering and exploring a whole new environment. The Maltese archipelago, which is the size of Bremen, floats between Africa and Europe and is endowed with beautiful beaches, vacation weather, a multifaceted history and a unique living atmosphere. Being able to experience this on his own and on his own terms was not only a great enrichment for his education, but also for him personally.
An Unforgettable Experience
Overall, he was able to take away some positive impressions from the gaming industry in Malta, including the fact that the educational mission and the teaching of values are not tied to the type of frontal teaching, but can also be detached.
But he was also very impressed by the mediterranean and spirited attitude of the locals, as well as their openness and willingness to become part of the community. This strengthened his sense of making a meaningful contribution to Maltese society.
The great thing is that his private and professional contacts not only remained in Malta, but also continue to do so.
He sees the entire stay as a major plus for his personal and professional development and can only warmly recommend it to others.
We would like to thank Yasin Kalem for his insightful contribution and are delighted that trainees are offered such opportunities during their apprenticeship.
Responsible for the content of this article is Yasin Kalem.
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